The Assistant
by punkydiva17
Summary: *Story Completed* Angelle Harper has arrived in WWE to help out backstage while Stephanie is bogged down with work. A woman who has never watched a wrestling show in her life is left to try and sort out life in the WWE
1. Meeting The McMahons

**Just a quick note: Yes, this is a new story. I started working on it about a month and a half ago. Don't fear though; Memoirs of A Diva, Darkest Hour, Diva of Destruction, and Rose of Sharyn are still on the go as well. I just haven't finished up the work on those yet. You can expect new updates for those within the next week or so. **

**Meeting The McMahons**

Stephanie Levesque pursed her lips together as she spotted the young brunette walking down the hallway towards her at a brisk pace. The girl was late; not over the line late, but enough to make Stephanie suspect that she had gotten lost on the way to the arena. The approaching woman was a pretty girl; long, thick brown hair pulled back in a tight bun, with glasses that seemed to compliment her face perfectly. She was obeying corporate dress code; dressed in a black suit with a white button-down shirt underneath and a simple gold chain around her neck. The young woman looked absolutely flustered, and Stephanie knew better than to give her a really hard time about being late. _Raw _was set to start in a few hours; Stephanie had spent the better part of the afternoon going over things with Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler, before having to talk to a few of the talents about their behavior backstage. After all the years she had spent involved with the business, it never seemed to get any easier to don the hardhat and lay down the law to people who stepped out of line.

"Mrs. Levesque?"

"Stephanie," she replied, holding her hand out to shake. The young brunette took it. She had a firm handshake. It surprised Stephanie.

"Angelle Harper. I guess I'm your new assistant."

"And not a moment too soon," Stephanie confessed with relief. "It's been absolutely horrific the last few months." It wasn't a word of a lie. On top of working on creative for all three shows, she was also booking talents on and off television and dealing with talent relations duties. Throw in the fact she was a married mother of two, and Stephanie had become WWE's resident Superwoman. She hoped that this young woman would be able to make her job less stressful until her father, WWE Chairman Vince McMahon, could appoint somebody new to talent relations. She had tried to lobby her father – unsuccessfully – to pass some of the duties onto her brother Shane, but Shane had enough on his plate as it was. He was a married father of two as well, and seemed to have less time than Stephanie as the Executive Vice President of Global Media.

"I can only imagine. From what Mr. McMahon said, you seem to be holding down the fort across the board." The girl had a soft voice, and Stephanie could tell she was timid, even if she gave strong handshakes. Stephanie nodded.

"Have you ever been an assistant before?" Stephanie asked. Angelle shook her head.

"No. I'm still pretty new to this. So if I bungle things, I apologize in advance. As it was I just about had an anxiety attack when I couldn't find my way to the arena. I didn't want you to think I was standing you up or wasting your time..."

"Don't worry about that too much," Stephanie replied. "It is your first day, after all." She looked at the clock on her wall. "I have to run to a meeting with Vince and a few members of Creative. Can you track down Shane and see if he's got all the details down for tonight?" Angelle nodded. Stephanie flashed her a smile. "Thanks. I'll meet you back here in about a half hour." Angelle went to ask another question, but Stephanie was already taking off down the hall. Angelle sighed, her shoulders slumping in defeat. Half an hour? Was she just supposed to stand around with people she didn't know until Stephanie was finished? She didn't want to make Stephanie mad on her first day by not listening to her orders, or asking stupid questions.

Tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear, Angelle began to make her way down the hallway, hoping for a glimpse of Shane McMahon. She wasn't a wrestling fan; she had never even watched a show, but had gotten the job with Stephanie by a recommendation a mutual friend had made. Fresh out of college, Angelle was desperate for experience anyways, so she had jumped at the chance.

_This is great_, she thought bitterly_, I don't even know who the hell Shane McMahon is._

She tried to keep her eyes downcasted, but she could feel the talent's eyes on her. "Dead girl walking on the Green Mile!" she heard a Texan voice call out. It reverberated off of the hallway walls and instantly she could feel a hundred eyes on her. She turned to see a guy in a white cowboy hat and a business suit smiling from a far corner of the hallway, talking to a smaller guy covered in tattoos. She didn't have time to respond to much else as she crashed into somebody. With a shaky breath, she stared up into the coldest blue eyes she had ever seen. _He's a tall one_, she thought, staring up at him. He had close cropped brown hair, sleeved tattoos on both arms and wore a black button-down shirt with slacks. He had two men with him; a blond man dressed in a pair of jeans and a white polo shirt, and a smaller guy with dark hair and tired eyes, dressed in a blue shirt and khakis. They intimidated her, and they knew it. With each passing second, she shrunk further and further under their gaze.

"I..."

"Why don't you watch where you're going?" the man with the tattoos asked, his tone making it clear that he was not impressed by her collision with him.

"I'm sorry...I'll pay more attention next time..." she said, trying to keep her voice from shaking.

"Be sure that you do," the blond told her. She moved around them and got out of their sight as fast as she could. She still felt their eyes on her back and she fought the blush from taking over her cheeks. She wanted to cry, but she kept herself in check. It felt like she was messing up all across the board, making lousy first impression after lousy first impression. She saw a dark haired man in a pair of jeans with two shirts on; a white long-sleeved shirt and a green T-shirt, talking to somebody. She knew instantly she had found Shane; he and his sister definitely looked alike.

"Um, Mr. McMahon?" she squeaked. Shane turned to see Angelle and turned back to the man he was talking to, a smaller guy dressed in black with long hair and a cowboy hat.

"This might be important," he told the man. "I'll catch up with you later, all right?"

"Sure thing," the man drawled with a thick accent. "I need to go check in with Mark anyways." They slapped hands into a hug and the man with the black cowboy hat disappeared. He turned to her.

"Hello," he said. "You would be?"

"I'm Angelle. Your sister sent me to look for you."

"She's panicking that I won't know how tonight's going to go down, isn't she?" he asked.

"I'm not sure if panicked is the accurate word," Angelle replied. She was so intimidated to be around all these people that she didn't know. "But she wanted me to check in with you to make sure you knew what you were doing tonight."

"Well, why didn't she do it herself?" he asked, his features darkening in contemplation. He noticed a look cross the young woman's features and he smiled. She was definitely new to the field, and he was worried that she wasn't thick skinned enough to make it.

"She said she had a meeting with Mr. McMahon and Creative," Angelle replied. "So she asked me if I could come talk to you for her."

It dawned on Shane. "You're her new assistant, aren't you?" he asked. She nodded. "Well, on behalf of the McMahon family, and on behalf of the talent roster, welcome to the WWE."

"I don't know about that," she replied. "I had a bit of a run-in with three guys on the way to find you."

Shane was silent for a second. "Must be Legacy. The lead one have tattoos down his arms?" She nodded. "Yeah. That would be them. The bundle of sunshine you bumped into would be Randy Orton. He's a moody bastard, but relatively harmless. The other two with him are Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase. Which reminds me that I need to talk to them about tonight. Are you doing anything right now?"

"I have to meet Stephanie when she's finished her creative meeting in catering."

"Well, knowing my father, she'll be there forever. Come on, you can come sit in on a meeting with the guys and I and you can see how we piece together a segment for TV."

"I won't get in trouble with Steph, right?"

"Nah. Steph's a pretty mellow person, and I'm sure she knows you're with me." Angelle smiled. "Come on. I'm sure you could use a new first impression with the boys in Legacy anyways." She nodded; she still couldn't get Randy Orton's cold, piercing eyes out of her head as she followed Shane down the hallway.

**

"You again?"

"Cut the girl some slack, Orton. It's her first day."

"No shit." Randy's demeanor changed instantly. He held out his hand.

"Randy Orton, this is Angelle, my sister's new assistant. Angelle, this moody prick here is Randy Orton." Randy scowled at Shane, but shook Angelle's hand nonetheless.

"Don't pay mind to McMahon over here," Randy said, kissing her hand. She thought she was going to faint. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Angelle."

"I'm Cody Rhodes," the dark haired man said, extending his hand to her. She shook it.

"Ted DiBiase," the blond stated, shaking her hand.

"Angelle Harper," she said. "It's nice to meet you guys." They all took seats in chairs.

"So do you have your 'address' written for tonight?" Shane inquired. Randy nodded.

"I've been working on it all week," Randy confessed. _WrestleMania XXV _was six days away in Houston, Texas, while _Raw _was emanating from Dallas. "I got Rhodes and DiBiase here to take a look over the final draft; they said it seems fine. Samantha thinks it's too wooden."

"Um, who's Samantha?" Angelle asked. They all stared at her and she instantly felt stupid. The look on Randy's face said he didn't think what she was thinking, however.

"Samantha's my wife," Randy replied. Angelle's mouth formed into a silent "oh" and she apologized for interrupting before the guys continuted.

"...So they'll cut to the backstage area and show that the limousine doors – both sides – are open. You've prepped the security guys right?"

"We have," Ted replied, motioning to himself and Cody. He checked the watch on his wrist. "Which reminds me, Cody and I have to get into our gear and film the pretapes. You guys got everything under control here?"

"In a second," Shane replied. "So, what's going to happen is Dad's going to come out first. Followed by me, and then Hunter. We'll level security and make our way to you guys. Cody, I'll be on you." Cody nodded.

"Should be fun," he murmured.

"So how are we doing this beatdown?" Randy asked.

"Well, it's going to be you and Hunter obviously. Dad and I will be brawling with DiBiase and Rhodes. You're going to bail through the crowd with Ted and leave Cody. Hunter's going to hit you with the Pedigree, Codeman, and that's how we're going to close out the show." They nodded and stood, slapping hands and hugging Shane, and shaking hands with Angelle before leaving.

Angelle looked at the clock. "I should probably get to catering and see if Stephanie's finished her meeting." She stood to her feet. "It was nice meeting you, Shane. You, too, Randy. Sorry about crashing into you earlier."

"Don't worry about it," he said. "Water under the bridge." She nodded, smiling softly before letting herself out. Randy turned to Shane.

"She for real?" Randy asked. Shane shook his head.

"She's a little timid," he replied. "But I think she'll be just fine. I think she's feeling a bit out of place. She'll adjust." Randy shrugged and continued to go over closing segment plans with Shane.

**

"Sorry, Mrs. Levesque. Your brother took me to meet Legacy." Stephanie shrugged.

"Don't worry about it. I figured he'd have you sit in," she replied, taking a bottle of water. "And please, Angelle. Stephanie. Mrs. Levesque sounds so old." Angelle nodded, and she took a bottle of water.

"Steph! Steph! We got some bad news!"

Stephanie turned to see a young technician. "Business beckons," she replied, taking a swig of water. "Could you let Big Show know that he's going over John Cena in a ten minute match tonight?" Angelle looked confused, but she nodded. She didn't know who Big Show was, or what going over meant, but she was pretty sure there would be a tag on a locker room or something. Stephanie offered a quick thanks and Angelle began making her way back down the hallway. _Big Show...Big Show...what would a guy who calls himself the 'Big Show' look like anyways? _

She walked past a few people she didn't recognize; a man with a unibrow talking to a muscular blonde woman and another woman with blondish highlights in her hair, a blonde man and a little person, both dressed in green, and a guy with long black hair, sleeved tattoos and a lip piercing sitting on a trunk listening to his iPod. He was dressed in his trunks and his boots, with a T-shirt. She sighed; she was going to feel like the stupidest person on the planet, but she knew she may as well ask for help. She approached.

"Um...excuse me?" she said, her voice stuck at a soft level. The guy looked up, startled by her appearance, and pulled a headphone out of his ear.

"Um...hello," he said. "Can I help you?"

"Yeah...I'm really sorry and I feel stupid, but...I'm looking for the Big Show and I have no idea who he is." He smiled at her and slid off the trunk.

"I'll take you to his locker room."

"Thank you so much." They began to walk down the hallway. "You new around here? I don't think I've ever seen you around here before."

"It's my first day. I'm Angelle. Stephanie's new assistant. She asked me to talk to the Big Show, but...well, the truth is, I don't know who anybody is back here." He smiled.

"Don't worry. You'll pick it up fast enough." He extended his hand. "I'm Phil Brooks. I wrestle here under the name CM Punk."

"What does CM stand for?" she asked. He smiled.

"Chicago-Made." She nodded, and they continued down the hallway. "How has your night been so far?"

"A disaster. I got lost on the way to the arena, so I was late getting here, then I had a run-in with Legacy...I'm tracking men down and I have no idea what they look like, or who they are." He could tell she was flustered. "The only shining moment is at least I smoothed things over with Legacy."

"They're harmless," Phil told her. "Orton's kind of moody, but so long as you remember that, things will be okay."

"That's what Mr. McMahon told me."

"Vince said that?"

"No. Shane."

"Ah." They stopped at an enormous blue door. "This is his locker room. Is it safe to leave you? I need to go talk to the other guys tonight."

"I'll be fine, Phil. Thanks so much for your help."

"Think nothing of it. See you around." He gave her a soft tap on the back, sticking his headphone back in his ear and disappearing down the hallway. She took a deep breath and knocked. She heard some rustling on the other side of the door and when it opened, she was face to face with a man's torso. Chocolate eyes wide, she stared up at him, flabbergasted by the sheer size of the man.

"Yo, man, who is it?" she heard a voice shout.

"Some chick," the giant called back. She heard movement, but couldn't see anything past the big man.

"She hot?" She blushed as the man made his way past the big man. He stopped and stared at her, flashing her a smile. She was gorgeous. She looked at him; deep blue eyes and a cute smile, dressed in a black T-shirt and blue denim shorts.

"Big Man, you should probably sit down. He's intimidating you, ain't he?" She nodded.

"I've never seen anybody so big. I'm sorry. I really do have a purpose for interrupting you two." The blue eyed man gave the giant a slap on the arm and told him to move back. He complied and Angelle was ushered into the room. There was also a man with long blonde hair inside, dressed in a pair of blue jeans and a black shirt with a graphic design on it.

"So, what can we do for you?"

"Mrs. Levesque...I mean, Stephanie, told me to come here and talk to...Big Show and John Cena?"

"That's us," the man with the blue eyes said, motioning to himself and the giant.

"Stephanie wanted me to tell you that Big Show is supposed to go over Cena tonight in a ten minute match...whatever that means."

"It means I'm kicking your ass _again_ tonight, Cena," the giant known as Big Show replied with a smug grin on his face. The blond and the giant chuckled at Cena's expense. She felt awkward, like a fight was going to break out in her presence, but her suspicions never came to fruition. The blonde and Cena both noticed she looked out of place. The blonde stood to his feet and extended his hand. "Adam Copeland. Or Edge, as I'm known in the WWE Universe. You would be?"

"I'm Angelle Harper. I'm Stephanie Levesque's new assistant. Here to kind of alleviate her workload a little bit in the talent department until Mr. McMahon gets a suitable replacement."

"Paul Wight. Or The Big Show," the giant replied, extending his hand. She shook it, and was astounded at how big his hands were.

"John Cena," the man with blue eyes said. "On behalf of the locker room, welcome to the WWE."

"Thank you," she replied. "I'm sorry to have interrupted. I should get going and see if Stephanie needs me to do anything before _Raw _goes on the air." They nodded and she let herself out. Adam started laughing.

"Timid little thing, isn't she? I don't know if WWE is the place for that." Cena nodded. Wrestling was a calloused industry. People had to be thick skinned to succeed. He wondered if she could make it.

**

Angelle stood in the Gorilla Position, watching the show through the cracks of the curtain. She was getting everybody ready to go out, hooked up with a clipboard and an earpiece to call for whoever was needed. She had since lost the business blazer; just opting for the shirt and slacks. It had been an eventful night; but from the sounds of things, _WrestleMania _was going to be a big show.

"Who do you need now, Angelle?" Stephanie's voice cracked through. Angelle flipped to the next page of the clipboard. She was astounded at how organized the show was.

"I need the Money in the Bank participants," she replied. Within seconds, the men all began lining up to go through the curtain. She recognized Phil in there and they flashed each other a reassuring smile. He gave her a thumbs up before making his way through the curtain.

The time seemed to fly and she admitted to herself early on that she admired the athleticism. Everybody seemed to have so much fun on the other side of the curtain and the people were really responding to it. Before she knew it, Shane McMahon, Triple H and the Chairman himself were standing beside her, ready to go and face the Legacy group she had met at the beginning of the night. She was curious about how their plans were going to play out. The Chairman's theme started first and he made his way through, a scowl on his face. She covered the mouthpiece on her headset. "Break a leg out there, guys."

"Thanks," Shane mouthed, giving her a soft pat on the arm before disappearing past the black curtain. His music started and he disappeared. Angelle could tell Triple H was in another mindset at the moment, his gaze down, a scowl on his face. He was getting ready to go out there and kick a lot of ass. His theme started and she heard the crowd roar louder than they did for the McMahon men, and Triple H disappeared past the curtain. Her eyes were glued to the space between the curtains, watching the three men lay out the security guards that were trying to act as a barrier between Triple H and the McMahons and Legacy. The crowd was at a fever pitch and Angelle found herself getting into it as well as Shane slammed Cody Rhodes against the ring apron.

**

At midnight, the McMahons and Angelle officially parted ways. She was exhausted, but she couldn't sleep, still fully amped from the show she had just witnessed. As she made her way to the underground parking lot, she wondered if she should go get a coffee. Sleep was definitely a few hours away. If she even slept at all. Tomorrow she had to be back at the arena to do more for the _SmackDown _tapings. Stephanie had let it slip that commentator Tazz would not be with WWE after this week. The Powers That Be were in a panic, busy trying to find a replacement for Tazz at _WrestleMania _Sunday because the man had made it clear he had no intention of being there. Angelle wondered if there was anything she could do to help the situation.

"We meet again."

Angelle jumped, startled, a small scream escaping her lips as she wheeled around to see John Cena. He held up his hands in mock surrender. "Whoa! Easy! I didn't mean to scare you."

"I'm sorry. I was spaced out," she confessed, walking into the underground parking lot area. "You're familiar with this area, aren't you?"

"More or less," he replied with a shrug. "Why?"

"I'm not tired, so I thought I'd go get a coffee. Do you know of anywhere that's open?"

"I think there's a Dunkin' Donuts about ten minutes from the arena," he told her. "Was that what you had in mind? It's twenty-four hours."

She sighed. "It'll work. Thanks." She hit the button on her keychain and the doors unlocked to her car.

"Hey. Do you mind if I come with you?" She stared at him oddly.

"This isn't some kind of a date, is it?"

"No, no, no," he said, his tone rushed. "It's just...well, I noticed you were a little lost tonight when it came to the guys and what was going on. If you're going for a coffee...I thought I'd tag along and maybe fill you in on the stories heading into the Big One this weekend." She sighed.

"It's sweet of you to offer and all, but I'd imagine you must be exhausted right now."

"Not really. It takes a few hours to wind down after a show," he informed her. "You can follow me there." She nodded.

"Fine. I guess I'll meet you there."

"Great," Cena replied, hitting the button that unlocked his car halfway down the parking lot. He began to make his way towards the car. "Meet you there."


	2. Coffee With The Champ

**Hey everyone! Wow, the feedback for this story alone was amazing. Thanks to everyone who's reading and reviewing this. Here's the next chapter. I should have the next stage of Rinoa, Celeste and Sharyn up by Wednesday at the latest. Hope everyone is having a great weekend.**

**Coffee With The Champ**

John and Angelle settled at a table with chipped brown vinyl seats, each with a large coffee and a couple donuts. "You've been here a full night and you're already a bad influence on me, Ms. Harper," Cena teased as he took a bite out of a Boston Creme donut. "This is like an extra two to three sets at the gym tomorrow." She laughed. "Well, at least you know how to laugh. You looked so flustered earlier tonight." Angelle shook her head, laughing softly.

"Just...trying to get familiar with all of this. I've never watched wrestling before...I mean, I knew it existed, but I just never watched it. I normally had too many other things to do, you know? Anyway, my family thinks pro wrestling is just the stupidest sport in the world...And now here I am, doing stuff for Stephanie and the McMahon family, and I don't know anybody, I don't even know what any of the terms mean, so I look like a total idiot when people start talking to me." She sighed.

"How did you get the job then, if you don't mind me asking."

"A mutual friend of Stephanie and I. Kristen. She was a friend of Stephanie's from high school. She kind of does some volunteer work at my college and after I graduated, she said that it would be a great experience if I had this on my resume. So I said all right, and Kristen called Stephanie, who was more than open to having some form of alleviation on the job. I didn't realize she was holding two or three different positions at the moment. So, needless to say, Stephanie was more than receptive to the idea of taking on an assistant." Cena nodded. "Let me guess, though – you've been a fan your entire life and this was all you ever wanted to do."

"It was either this or football," Cena replied with a smirk. "I was a very well decorated All-Offensive Lineman at Springfield College. But I'm a pretty small guy in terms of football, so I knew talent scouts weren't going to be banging down my door post-college. After doing a bunch of menial, bullshit jobs that didn't suit me, I just kinda went for the gusto. Haven't looked back since." He sipped his coffee.

"What exactly is Money in the Bank?" Angelle asked. He shot her a look and she sighed. "You must think I'm the stupidest woman on the planet."

"Nah," he said, dismissing her words with a wave. "Anyway, I promised I'd fill you in. Money In The Bank is a match that's been going on since _WrestleMania 21 _back in 2005. Basically, what happens is there is a briefcase suspended over the ring while eight men duke it out. One of them has to climb a ladder and get the briefcase to win the match."

"Well, what's in the briefcase?"

"It's a world championship title match contract. Whoever gets the briefcase has the opportunity to cash it in within twelve months of them winning it. Any brand, any champion, any time."

"That must put a lot of pressure on the guys holding the title."

"Nah. We lose it when they tell us to, we win it when they tell us, too," he said. She shot him a look and he quickly explained himself. "Don't misconstrue what I'm saying, Angelle, the championship is important. It distinguishes who is at the top of the company ladder. I just meant..."

"I understood what you were saying completely, John," she assured him. "So what are you doing at _WrestleMania_ this Sunday?"

"I am in a triple threat with the men that you met in the locker room tonight. Right now, the other two guys are in a love triangle with Vickie Guerrero."

"I haven't met Vickie yet, right?"

"I don't think you have. You'll probably meet her tomorrow. She's a really sweet woman. Her husband was a great man. I learned a lot from him." He took another sip of coffee.

"Her husband?"

"Eddie Guerrero. He passed away in 2005 of heart failure. It hit a lot of us really hard. I know Vickie's still not over it...and people have a hard time separating her from Eddie...Some of the fans just get so vocal about the storylines she's doing with Adam and Paul because they were all so loyal to Eddie."

"What do they say?" Cena sighed.

"I've read blogs where people say she has no business using the last name Guerrero and that Eddie is turning in his grave. All sorts of shit like that."

"That's awful."

"Tell me about it. People seem to forget that she and the kids were probably hit the hardest by what happened. She's a hard worker, and she's worked her ass off to try and step out of Eddie's shadow. And I know what some people say hurts her immensely...but Vickie's a strong woman and she shoulders it well. I have a lot of respect for the woman for that alone...Even if you don't hear me saying that on TV," he added with a chuckle.

"So what's supposedly going on with her, Adam and Paul?"

"Well, right now Vickie is married to Edge, or Adam's character. But I outed her a couple weeks ago for having an affair with the Big Show. I basically blackmailed her to get into this championship match because Adam weaseled his way into the _Raw _Elimination Chamber back in February at _No Way Out_. So right now, Adam and Paul are fighting for Adam's title and for who gets to keep Vickie, for lack of a better term. I'm just basically there for the hell of being there, so it's been an unbelievable struggle to try and keep myself included in the match, let alone the storyline."

"It sounds like it," Angelle replied. "And with Triple H?"

"I guess you know that Stephanie is married to Hunter.​" Angelle had a weird look on her face. "His first name is Paul, but everyone pretty much calls him Hunter backstage."

"Why?"

"Hunter Hearst Helmsley. It's what Triple H stands for." She nodded; he had been introduced to her as Paul, so Hunter was completely foreign to her.

"I'm sorry...I'm asking a lot of really stupid questions."

"Don't worry about it. I'm fine with filling you in," Cena replied. "Anyway, Orton went on this bender...I guess you could call it that...and he punted Vince and Shane in the head before hitting his finishing maneuver, the RKO, on Stephanie.

"See, Randy won the _Royal Rumble_ back in January, which means he is automatically the _WrestleMania _headliner this year. He was initially going to challenge whoever won between Edge and I a couple weeks ago, before Triple H goaded him into this match. The two have a feud that go back a long way. See, Hunter, with Ric Flair, started this group called Evolution in 2002/2003. Randy Orton and Dave Batista – who you have yet to meet because he's injured – were part of this group. Randy won the World Heavyweight Championship in 2004 from Chris Benoit, and the night after was unceremoniously tossed out of the group."

"Ouch."

"Hunter's character is that of a master manipulator. I don't think there was a fan alive that didn't see it coming. I think Orton was the only one who didn't see it," Cena chuckled. Angelle took a bite of her apple fritter.

"So, do people ever mix up the fantasy with the reality?"

"All the time," John told her. "We had an incident back in February up in Canada. Chris Jericho got cornered by some fans...wearing my T-shirts, go figure...and things got a little ugly. Police got involved, people were threatening to file charges..." He shook his head. "I've had quote-unquote 'smart fans' tell me that I'm the worst thing to hit wrestling since the Ultimate Warrior. I've had to shut down two MySpace accounts because of death threats and I'm pretty sure if you talk to anybody backstage, they'll have at least one story of getting cornered in the parking lot after a show by a drunk fan who wants to see if he can hang with one of us." Cena shook his head.

"It sounds terrible."

"It can be if you just focus on that aspect of this life," Cena told her. "If those guys want to hate me, they can hate me. I mean, the last time I checked, I'm one of the most requested guys at the Make A Wish Foundation and I sell more merchandise than some of the other guys on the roster, so I mean...I have to be doing something right, you know?" She nodded. "I'm a small town kid, you know...from like half an hour outside of the middle of nowhere. And I know it's so easy to not be here and I'm trying to get everything out of it that I can...just soak up the experiences and the stories. I've been here for seven years now, and it seems like every year it just gets better and better, you know." He took a sip of his coffee. "Enough about me and my narcisstic ass...tell me about you... I mean...what rock were you living under to have never seen a WWE show?"

She laughed. "I grew up in Crescent City, California. Probably the only place in California with terrible weather. I moved to Boston for my college years...so yes, I do know where New Westbury is...I've driven through there a couple times. I went to Boston University, which was how I met Kristen. Stephanie also attended that college and if I'm not mistaken, her brother did as well."

"Your parents are still in Cali?"

"Yeah. I go back and visit a couple times a year when I'm not too busy. They still have my sister Elizabeth out there."

"She older or younger?"

"Younger...by four minutes."

"Twin sister?"

"Yeah...she's always hated that we look alike though. She sports her hair uber short and bleaches it blonde. She's more or less a militant feminist and a total enigma. She changes what she wants to do with her life pretty much every five minutes, and she's really critical of the stuff I do with my life. When she found out I took this job, she pretty much read me the Riot Act because of all the negative press you guys have received in the last two years or something."

"I know what you're talking about," Cena replied, his tone terse. She nodded, knowing not to say anymore.

"How about you? Any siblings?"

"Four brothers."

"Wow. Do they ever come and see your shows?"

"Oh yeah. They stop in whenever we're in Boston...sometimes Creative wants to use my dad for storylines, so we bring him in. A couple years ago, Adam and Amy stopped by the house and slapped him around on camera."

"Amy?"

"Amy was a Diva who was here before you, obviously. She wrestled under the name Lita. There was some pretty big controversy surrounding her and Adam, but as you'll learn about Adam, he pretty much thrives on controversy."

"Ah...one of those guys."

"He calls himself the Rated R Superstar for a reason."

"What do they call you?"

Cena laughed. "For the longest time, they called me 'The Doctor of Thuganomics'." A giggle escaped Angelle's lips. "Thanks. It seemed like a great idea at the time."

"So what do they call you now?"

"The Champ." They both broke into a fit of laughter. "Angelle, can I tell you something?"

She took a sip of coffee. "Sure."

"Look, I don't want you to be offended by what I'm about to say, but everyone backstage noticed how flustered and nervous you were tonight, and seriously...everyone's kind of worried that you're not going to last. Stephanie needs the help, there's no arguing that. She's a mother of two holding down two or three major positions within the company with all three brands. I don't know how tough of a girl you are, but you're going to have to have a really thick skin to hack it here. I'd hate to see people run over you because they think you're weak."

She smiled sadly at Cena. "Thank you, John. I appreciate your concern...but I'm a lot stronger than most people have me pegged for." Her hand instinctively went to the necklace with the ring hanging around her neck. She looked up at the clock. "I should probably get going," she told him. "You probably should, too. If I recall correctly, you're probably going to be doing some _Mania _stuff tomorrow." He nodded and she stood to her feet. She extended her hand and he shook it. "Have a good night and I'll see you tomorrow." He nodded and watched as she walked out. His face darkened.

_What the hell just happened?_


	3. WrestleManiArt

**WrestleManiArt**

Dressed in a black spaghetti strapped dress with a white embroidered bust, Angelle got out of the sleek black limousine with Linda McMahon and saw the throngs of screaming fans lined up outside the Houston Art Museum. WWE had rented out the area for the week for WWE Superstars and Divas to show off their artistic skills in a marketing scheme they had titled _WrestleManiArt_. Angelle was surprised with herself; she found herself falling into the _WrestleMania_ excitement quickly. It was like a tidal wave and she couldn't hold on for dear life if she tried. It was just all so exciting.

"You ready to go in and take a look?" Linda asked. Angelle nodded and the two women began to make their way down the carpet. There was a tall, bleached blonde man Angelle had never seen before taking pictures with fans and chatting with them, while there was a short brunette Diva talking to another crowd. The atmosphere was electric, enough to give Angelle goosebumps.

Inside the museum, the artwork was on full display while Divas and Superstars talked to local reporters about their artwork and about _WrestleMania. _Linda left Angelle to go tend to a few things and Angelle walked towards a shelf lined with the most incredible Superman drawings she had ever seen. It was a graphic drawing, complete with all sorts of shading. It looked like it belonged in a DC comic.

"What do you think?"

Angelle jumped and turned to see Jerry Lawler, one of _Raw's_ commentators, staring at her with a warm smile and sparkling blue eyes. An incredulous look crossed her face. "You drew these?"

"Yeah. I actually had a scholarship to Memphis University for my artwork," he told her. He motioned to a picture of Clark Kent holding onto Lois Lane. "I personally like this one."

"It's beautiful," she said. "These are incredible, Mr. Lawler."

"Please. Jerry."

"Jerry. These drawings are phenomenal."

"I'm working on a new one right now. You should see some of Jeff Hardy's. Jeff is a pretty accomplished artist, too." She crinkled her face, trying to remember if she had met Jeff. He caught on. "Jeff is on _SmackDown._ You haven't met him yet. Come on. I'll take you over to him." She nodded, flashing him a grateful smile as he led her to an area towards the back of the museum. There was an enormous piece of canvas up against the wall that was being worked on by a tall man in raggedy jeans with rainbow hair. He sensed somebody behind them and climbed off the ladder, flashing them a smile. "Hey, Jerry. Saw your drawings. They look great."

"Thanks. What are you working on here?"

"Just another random drawing," Jeff replied with a shrug. His eyes went to Angelle, who felt herself shrink under his intense gaze. "You would be?" He extended his hand.

"Angelle Harper. I'm Stephanie McMahon's assistant."

"Jeff Hardy. Nice to meet you. What do you think of the drawing?"

She stared at it. "It's supposed to be a cartoon version of you, right? Cause that's what it kind of looks like." Jeff laughed. "I think it looks great. You're a really talented artist."

"Not as talented as 'The King' here."

"They call me 'The King' for a reason," Jerry replied with a laugh. "Anyway, I'm just trying to get Angelle here introduced to everyone. She just started last night, so she's still got two and a half locker rooms to meet." Jeff got a strange look on his face.

"Good luck with that. Lots of names to remember." She nodded and he climbed back onto the ladder. Jerry led Angelle off.

"Is he always so serious?"

"Yeah. He's a pretty laidback guy though. Totally harmless." She saw Adam talking to one of the reporters about _WrestleMania_. She was surprised to see him there. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Just to start before your biggest show...it's been a tidal wave." Jerry nodded.

"It's hard not to get excited about it, huh?"

"It's impossible not to get excited about it. Look at everything you guys are doing."

"I know. And that's not all. Matt Hardy – Jeff's older brother – and Layla El...they're over at the Houston Public Library doing some _WrestleMania_ Reading Challenge stuff for the kids." Angelle thought about Elizabeth reading her the Riot Act when she had told the family she had been hired; how could Elizabeth overlook the good stuff that they were doing in the community? It seemed so incredibly short-sighted to Angelle.

Shaking off her thoughts, Jerry left her to talk to a few fans and work on a new drawing, so once again, Angelle found herself alone. She found she was enjoying the company of the staff, but was hating the moments when she was alone. It was like being an outsider, not part of the group and it made her feel awkward. She went to the catering table and got herself a glass of wine.

"You okay? You look a little lost."

She looked up to see the blond man and the brunette woman she had seen outside. The woman had a concerned look on her face, and the blond man had a comforting smile on his. "I'm fine," she replied. She sighed and shook her head. "It's my second day...I'm still kind of adjusting."

"Yeah. I saw you last night," the brunette replied, extending her hand. "I'm Mickie James."

"Angelle Harper," she replied, shaking Mickie's hand. "I'm Stephanie McMahon's new assistant."

"Ken Anderson," the blond told her, shaking her hand. "I'm known as Mr. Kennedy, but I'm out on injury at the moment."

"What happened, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Dislocated shoulder. It's healing slow."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"Who did you come here with?" Mickie asked.

"Mrs. McMahon, but she's been taking care of press stuff and whatnot, so I'm just kind of supposed to work the room and meet everyone. That was her orders today."

"Well, who have you met so far?"

"In the last two days?" she asked. Ken nodded. "Cody, Ted and Randy. Shane, Hunter, Cena, Adam, Paul, Phil, Jerry, Sean, Jeff and the creative squad."

"How have you been adjusting to life with the WWE?" Ken teased. She sighed.

"It was great last night. I crashed into Legacy and almost had my head ripped off. Big Show scared the hell out of me, and some smartass in a white cowboy hat announced I was a 'Dead Woman Walking'."

"White cowboy hat..." Ken mused.

"Must be Bradshaw," Mickie replied. "Don't mind him – he's like that with everyone. He's a total hazer, so just keep your backbone iron straight when you have to deal with him." She nodded. "And don't worry about Legacy; Randy's a moody guy, and it's wearing off on Cody and Ted."

"Shane said the same thing about Randy. And that he was harmless."

"Harmless _now_," Mickie said. "Randy used to have a pretty bad reputation back here. He's been busting his ass to change it, so you have to give the man credit. Samantha really smartened his ass up." Angelle nodded, at least knowing who she was talking about. Ken excused himself to go track down his wife and talk to some reporters, leaving Angelle with Mickie. "You just stick around with me, Angelle. I'll introduce you to the Divas division." Angelle nodded, thankful that everybody was being so nice to her.

"Are you competing at _WrestleMania _this weekend?" she asked. Mickie nodded.

"All the Divas are," she replied, "Plus a few of some of the older Divas. It's a big 25 Diva battle royal." Angelle nodded as Mickie led her to a piece of artwork that was a Diva collage. There was a young brunette in a short blue dress standing in front of it with a wide smile on her face.

"Oh, my God, Eve! It looks great," a redheaded woman replied, clapping her hands together in glee. "You finally finished it!"

"It looks terrific," Mickie agreed. "Anyways, ladies, I have somebody for you to meet. This is Angelle Harper, Stephanie McMahon's assistant. Angelle, this brunette thing here is Eve Torres. She works on _SmackDown_ with this redheaded firecracker. Angelle, this is Maria Kanellis."

They shook hands, offering hellos. "I love your dress," Maria replied. "The bodice looks phenomenal. Did you make it yourself?"

"No," Angelle replied. "I got it at this dress shop in Boston."

"Maria here designs a lot of her own clothing to wear to the ring," Eve replied. Angelle was impressed. "She has an impeccable eye for fashion, so if she says you look good, you look good." The girls all laughed. Angelle stared closely at the Diva collage.

"How long did it take you to make this?"

"A few weeks," Eve confessed. "Finding all the articles, getting the right idea out, getting all the pictures."

"Eve! You finished it, beautiful! It looks amazing!"

They turned to see a short, overweight woman in a basic black dress and heels, her hair designed stylishly around her face. She had an infectious smile on her face that caused the girls to smile. "Yeah, I finished it last night," Eve confessed. The woman's smile disappeared.

"You had to use that picture, didn't you?" she said, staring closely at the collage before laughing again. She turned her attention to Angelle. "You are?"

"Vickie Guerrero, this is Angelle Harper," Maria said.

"She's Stephanie's new assistant," Mickie added. Vickie smiled at Angelle as they shook hands.

"Your dress is gorgeous," Vickie replied. "It's a pleasure to meet you. Welcome to WWE."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, too," Angelle said. "John Cena told me about you last night." Vickie chuckled. "He speaks very highly of you."

"If the cameras aren't rolling, I swear, that man would spend his days buttering me up." Vickie laughed. "So when did you join the ranks?"

"Last night."

"Still new," Vickie smiled. "You'll do fine here. It's like a big family."

"It seems that way," Angelle replied. She looked around. She spotted Ken talking to some reporters while a brunette she assumed was his wife stared on. There was a muscular blonde woman in a floral print dress talking to reporters with a beaming smile on her face. "Who's that?" she asked. Mickie looked over.

"Elizabeth Carolan. Beth Phoenix is her ring name. We all just call her Beth. She calls herself 'The Glamazon'. Her onscreen boyfriend is that guy with the unibrow. His name is Anthony Carelli, but in the ring everyone calls him Santino Marella."

"He's the one who wants to be Miss WrestleMania, right?" Angelle asked. Vickie nodded and the girls broke into laughter.

"The mankini last night was absolutely golden," Eve replied, and the girls broke into more laughter.

"I give him a lot of credit," Angelle said. "Not a lot of men could pull that off."

"I think he worked the ropes better than half the Divas," Mickie giggled and the girls laughed.

"He's a funny guy," Vickie replied. "He can always make us ladies feel better."

"He drew some stick people for this event," Maria observed. Angelle started laughing. "Did you guys see that big thing Jeff's working on?" Angelle nodded.

"He's pretty talented," she replied.

"He does all sorts of artwork," Eve replied. "He's shown me pictures of like these enormous metal sculptures he makes at his house." Angelle was curious about the sculptures. The next time she talked to Jeff Hardy, she made a note to ask him about that.

"Hello ladies." They turned to see a man with short blonde hair, dressed in a button down black shirt and khaki pants. He had an infectious smile as well.

"Hey, Chris. Did you donate anything here?"

"I'm a musician. I wouldn't know a paintbrush from a chisel," he said with a laugh. He looked at Angelle and extended his hand. "Word about you's making the rounds. Steph's new assistant, right?"

"Yes," she said with a laugh, shaking his hand. "Angelle Harper."

"Chris Irvine."

"Jericho."

"Yes. It appears my reputation precedes me." She laughed.

"Hardly. I was the one in the Gorilla last night."

"That was you?" He cocked an eyebrow. "You look different with your hair down."

"Thanks," she laughed.

"How long are you here for?" Eve asked.

"About another half hour, then I'm switching off with Hardy at the library."

"Who's Layla switching off with?" Mickie asked.

"Melina." He checked the watch on his wrist. "Anyway, I have to do a press thing with Mrs. McMahon, so I will see you lovely ladies around. Welcome to the team, Angie." With that, he disappeared. Angelle hated being called Angie, but for some reason, it didn't bother her so much when Chris called her that. He seemed like the big brother type.

"Who's he facing at _WrestleMania_?"

"Three on one handicap match. He's taking on Ricky 'The Dragon' Steamboat, Jimmy 'Superfly' Snuka and 'Rowdy' Roddy Piper." She nodded. At least she knew who Piper was; she had seen a few of his movies growing up. "They're also working something out with Mickey Rourke."

"The actor?"

"Yeah. He did that movie, _The Wrestler_, so everyone is trying to tap into that," Mickie said. "Originally, he was supposed to announce after the Oscars that he was going to be fighting Chris Jericho at _WrestleMania_, but he jumped the gun and announced it too soon. So his handlers freaked and they pulled him from the match. So Steph and the guys over at Creative have been trying to figure out something new so they can at least include him. Because he's going to be sitting at ringside."

"Sounds like a stressful job."

"If you're on the creative team, you're pretty much a bundle of nerves," Vickie said. "It's not easy coming up with fresh stuff for five hours of television a week. And there's only ten people to work all three brands, with Stephanie included. And with her doing talent booking and talent relations...it's not easy because her attention can't be everywhere at once."

"I can imagine," Angelle said. Vickie excused herself to go talk to Adam and Paul. The Divas stopped speaking when Linda McMahon took the microphone to make a speech about the success of _WrestleMania _and WrestleManiArt. Angelle was absolutely captivated. She wondered if it could get any bigger than this.


	4. Fan Axxess

**Hey, everyone! Thanks so much for all the alerts, reviews and the feedback. You have no idea how much it means to have so much attention on this story. Thank you all. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. I know it's a tad short, but the next few chapters are pretty long. Happy reading!**

**Fan Axxess**

If Angelle thought that _WrestleManiArt _was incredible, when she stepped into the Fan Axxess building, everything was blown out of the water. The magnitude of this fan interactive event outdid the entire art museum by tenfold. This time, she was there as a guest of Shane McMahon's, who had gotten in from New York the night before with his wife Marissa and two sons. It was late afternoon on Friday, and Angelle still had three more of the most grueling days of her life ahead of her, as the Hall of Fame was the night after. Angelle was excited to be experiencing the grand spectacle that was _WrestleMania XXV _on Sunday, before having to do _Raw_ on Monday, but she knew afterwards she was going to want to sleep for a month. She was garnering an enormous amount of respect for the Divas and Superstars; there really was no off-time for them. It was always go, go, go.

"You look nervous," Shane told her. He was dressed in a pinstripe suit with a white shirt and a blue tie. Angelle was on his arm, dressed in a black suit with an A-line skirt and a white T-shirt underneath, her hair piled high atop her head. "Lighten up."

"I feel like such an outsider, Shane," she confessed. He smiled.

"It's never too late to become a fan," Shane told her with a reassuring smile. She was amazed at the magnitude of things that were going on. Commentating matches with commentators, mimicking your favorite Superstar or Diva entrance, a shelf full of replica WWE Championships, question and answer sessions with Divas and Superstars. "Do you have anybody go to the Hall Of Fame with tomorrow night?" he asked. She shook her head.

"My family's too busy to come out," she said, "I'll be fine by myself." She didn't want to tell him that her entire family had started pressuring her to quit when she had tried to invite them out a few nights before. Shane shook his head.

"Nonsense. I'll tell you what – I'll get a friend of mine to take you. You can sit up front with us." Angelle shook her head.

"I appreciate the gesture, Shane, but you really don't have to do that."

"Don't worry about it, Angelle. Consider it done." He flashed her a charming smile. "Anyway, it's a great way for you to make friends here." She sighed; he had a definite point, so she knew better than to argue with him. "So has my sister messed up your sleep habits yet?" he asked. She laughed.

"I doubt she could do that," Angelle replied. "My doctor once told me I had the sleep pattern of a crackhead." Shane laughed.

"Nice doctor."

"He was. Swore a lot, though. He was this old man from England. Left professional football and became a doctor. He passed away a couple years ago, but he had been my doctor since I was about three." He smiled. "Steph's been incredibly frazzled about _WrestleMania_, but I must admit, you guys sure know how to hold yourselves together."

"We're McMahons," Shane replied with a laugh. "It's been kind of built in." A throng of fans stopped Shane and asked for his autograph. A few people called her Marissa, which Angelle found weird. Shane had to explain that she was a new backstage attendant and he was showing her around during _WrestleMania _week, and was definitely _not_ his wife. When he finished signing autographs, he took her to the giant wrestling ring in the middle of the arena, where they could stand inside Hell in a Cell.

"What generation are you?" she asked as she took in the magnitude of the Cell standing in the middle of the ring.

"Fourth. My dad took it over from his dad in the eighties, who took it over from his dad in I think the sixties. All in all, this family's been promoting stuff since the forties." She nodded.

"So, what exactly is your position?"

"I'm the Executive Vice President of Global Media," Shane replied. "In 1998, myself and a group of guys launched WWF – now WWE's company website. I also arrange outside press stuff, distribution deals with other countries and so forth. Last year for _WrestleMania, _we brought in boxing champion Floyd Mayweather to do something with Big Show. We got a lot of press for it."

"It sounds like a busy job."

"It is, but it's not half as bad as everything Stephanie's been doing. My sister's become Supergirl in the last eight months." She nodded. "She likes having you around though, Angelle. Hunter said she's actually sleeping five hours a night now." Angelle laughed. He sat on the rope and assisted her out of the ring before they exited the Cell.

"Shane O'Mac! Shane O'Mac!"

Shane turned his head to see a camera crew and he groaned inwardly. It was something for WWE's Exclusives area on the website and Shane excused himself for a minute. She stood by herself, feeling kind of awkward as she saw a young man with glasses interviewing Shane.

"Fancy meeting you here." Angelle turned around and saw Mickie James.

"Mickie!" Angelle said with a wide smile, giving her a hug. "God, it's great to see a familiar face."

"Who are you here with?"

"Shane. He's doing a thing for the website at the moment, though," she said. "He should be back in a minute."

"Do you have something picked out for the Hall of Fame?" Angelle crinkled her face.

"Like to wear?"

"Yes, silly!"

"I have that black dress..." Angelle said lamely.

"No, no, no," Mickie replied with an enormous smile. "It's the Hall of Fame on _WrestleMania _weekend! You absolutely just _have to_ pick up a new dress. I'll tell you what...give me your cell phone." Angelle reluctantly obliged and Mickie programmed her number in the directory. "There's my number. Call me when you and Shane are done and I'll get a few of us Divas together and tomorrow we'll have a Divas Day before the ceremony."

"I have to do some stuff at the theatre tomorrow," Angelle replied.

"At what time?"

"Five."

"We'll be done by then. We have to be there for five thirty to take pictures for the website, do some interviews and file into the theatre. Which reminds me...do you have anybody to go with?"

"No, but Shane said he's setting something up." Mickie smiled.

"Shane's a great guy. Everyone's best friend here."

"My ears are burning." Mickie turned to see Shane. She gave him a hug. "Anyway," she said, turning to Angelle. "I have to go do a question and answer thing with Carlito and Primo Colon, so call me and we'll set up a time tomorrow." Angelle nodded and Mickie skipped off into the crowd. Shane cocked an eyebrow.

"What was that about?"

"She told me I can't wear what I wore to_ WrestleManiArt_ to the Hall of Fame, so apparently I'm having a Divas Day tomorrow." Angelle shook her head. "I'm going to get in so much trouble fraternizing so much."

"Take it easy, Ange," he said, "This isn't the military. This is the WWE. You're not required to proofread the lineup and slot speech times until five o'clock tomorrow. That means you have the whole day. Mickie's right anyways; it's the Hall of Fame...go out, get your hair and your makeup done and just have fun." She smiled. "It's good to see you loosening up," he said. "You don't need to be so serious all the time." Angelle didn't really know how to respond to that. "So I'll have your 'date' pick you up at four thirty tomorrow. That should give you enough time to get here and then do everything you need before settling in. I'll talk to Dad and you can sit with Marissa and I."

"That would be nice," she replied. "Thanks for looking out for me so much."

"Hey. That's what I'm here for," he said. "So don't think anything of it. Now come on. You and I...let's go through Hornswoggle's house." Angelle laughed, shaking her head, but followed Shane McMahon through the velvet ropes and into the home of WWE's resident leprachaun.


	5. Hall of Fame

**Okay, okay...bad Jennie, I know...But just because I'm in such a great mood over FINALLY finishing my Shane O'Mac video and all the reviews this story has gotten, I thought I would give you guys one more chapter today before I started working on another story. Again, happy readings and to everyone who has put this on alert and has left a review, I thank you a million times over. **

**The Hall of Fame**

Mickie James arrived at Angelle's hotel at nine o'clock the following morning with Maria, Melina, Maryse Ouellet, Torrie Wilson, Lisa Marie Varon and Candice Beckman in tow. After exchanging greetings, the girls all set out for their day. Torrie and Lisa, who was popularly known in the WWE Universe as Victoria, were set to compete in the Divas battle royal the following night and were both excited to see the other Divas.

Their first stop was at a hair salon to get their hair done up for the ceremony. They stopped in at a little place in the middle of Houston, Mickie and Maria having booked the appointments the day before. "So how was your time with Shane McMahon yesterday?" Candice asked.

"Fun. He took me through Hornswoggle's house." The girls broke into laughter.

"He did not," Maryse said in her thick French Canadian accent.

"He did. It was a blast. We must have looked like quite a sight; two corporate suits going through Hornswoggle's place." Everyone laughed at the image as the hairdressers set about doing the Divas' hair.

"So who are you going to the ceremony with tonight?" Maria asked. Angelle shrugged.

"I don't know. Shane still hasn't told me who he set up to take me tonight. All I know is that he'll be there at four-thirty to make sure I get to the theatre by five."

"It's nice that he's setting somebody up to take you," Maria said. "I can't believe that your family isn't coming out for this." Angelle went to say something, but Melina spoke up from her chair at the end of the line.

"Shane's really been looking out for you, hasn't he?" Melina inquired with a cocked eyebrow. Lisa rolled her eyes. The insinuation wasn't lost on Angelle, and it made her feel uncomfortable.

"Melina, don't even think like that. Shane's happily married with two kids." Lisa looked over at Angelle. "Forgive Perez, here. Sometimes her imagination likes to run away with her." Melina stuck her tongue out at Lisa and the hairdresser instructed her to keep staring ahead in the mirror.

"What about you, Angelle? Do you have anybody waiting for you at home that you could have brought out?" Candice asked. Angelle shook her head.

"My family's all in California."

"Oh. Where do you live?" Torrie asked.

"Boston. I moved there for college and just decided to stay there." Angelle didn't elaborate that she was just kind of glad to move away from her family and the drama.

"So whereabouts are your family in California?" Melina asked. "Lisa and I are from Cali."

"I'm from Crescent City in Northern California. Where are you two from?"

"I'm from LA," Melina said.

"San Bernardino." Lisa smiled as the hairdresser worked at curling her long raven hair. "Man, it's so great to see all of you guys again. It's been so long – I feel like I haven't seen you guys in forever."

"It's only been three months," Mickie said with a snort while Maria rolled her emerald eyes. "If you miss us so much, how about you come out of your self-imposed retirement?" Lisa laughed.

"I miss you guys, but not _that_ much," she said. The girls laughed. "Anyways, you ladies seem to be holding down the fort just fine without me."

"Yeah, but we miss you," Candice said.

"Yeah. _SmackDown_ sure hasn't been the same since you left," Maria told her. "They moved Natalie to ECW, so all we've really got now is Michelle and the Bellas until Gail picks up momentum."

"Ugh. Michelle. She still dating Mark?" Lisa asked.

"Yeah. She doesn't let us forget that," Maria replied with a roll of her eyes. "She's trying to be some kind of Divas leader, but she's just rubbing everyone the wrong way."

"How so?" Angelle inquired. Maryse took the answer.

"A few months ago, she decided to try teaching Natalie how to 'work'," she said. "Natalie is the first third-generation Diva in the company. Her father is Jim 'The Anvil' Neidhart and her uncles are the great Bret and Owen Hart. She doesn't need to learn anything, really, because she picks it up from the family."

"Yeah. Michelle just missed the memo that said talent isn't a sexually transmitted trait," Melina replied. Angelle's jaw dropped and the girls started laughing.

"Don't misconstrue us, Ange, Michelle is a friend of ours," Mickie told her. "But some of the things she does really puts us Divas off...and it hasn't been much better since she started a relationship with the Deadman." Angelle nodded, but was still a little shocked by the cattiness of Melina's comment.

"So, Ange...anybody here you find hot?" Melina asked. Angelle found herself becoming increasingly agitated with things Melina was insinuating and saying. But if she was agitated and angry, it was definitely something the other girls weren't picking up on.

"Melina, that's enough," Torrie said, giggling. She looked over at Angelle and rolled her eyes. "The woman is incorrigible."

"Come on. Answer," Melina goaded. "Are you chicken?"

"Can it, Perez," Lisa snapped. Angelle was relieved that she was getting on everyone else's nerves.

"Come on..."

"_Femme me la bouche," _Maryse said and the girls exploded into peals of laughter.

**

When the hair was done, Melina left to go get into her dress and meet up with John Hennigan, her ex-boyfriend who had agreed to take her to the Hall of Fame this year. She would be accompanying him, The Miz and Maria. Maryse, Mickie, Candice and Lisa stayed behind to help Angelle pick out a dress, while Torrie went to go see Julie, the company seamstress, about what she was going to be wearing tomorrow night at _WrestleMania_. It was clear that Melina's comments in the salon had ruffled a few of the Diva's feathers.

"Could you believe her?" Candice murmured as they stood in the dress shop. Angelle was in a change room trying on another dress. "And she wonders why I can't stand her."

"Easy, Candy," Mickie told her. "Melina's mouth just gets ahead of her brain ninety percent of the time. You should know that by now."

"Yeah, but you could tell Ange was uncomfortable," Maryse replied. Lisa shook her head. "It was ridiculous. It's hard enough being the new girl..."

"What got me was her insinuating something was up between Angelle and Shane. I don't think that guy's eyes have ever strayed off of his wife. He's just a hell of a guy, and I don't ever see him being like that. I guess the saying's true – the more people change, the more they stay the same." The Divas nodded. "Have you got that dress on yet?" Lisa called out to Angelle.

"How in the hell are you supposed to do this dress up?" Angelle called out. "I don't really know if this is appropriate to wear to a Hall of Fame ceremony."

"Oh, pish posh," Mickie said. "The Hall of Fame is supposed to be for evening gowns."

"This dress looks like it belongs in the bedroom, Mickie, not at a corporate event," Angelle retorted.

"This is why we don't let Candice pick clothing out," Maryse called. The Divas laughed and Candice flashed Maryse the middle finger.

"I tell you what – how about you forget about the dress with the eyelets and straps and try on that white one Lisa picked out."

"Oh yeah, the white one," Maryse said. "That's going to look great on her."

"I think it will," Lisa replied.

"Thank God. I give up trying these goddamn straps."

"So who do you think that Shane arranged to take you?" Maryse asked.

"I don't know. I just know it's a friend of his." They saw the white skirt drag along the floor before disappearing from view. "Does my hair look okay, guys? Honestly?" It was pulled back in a layered ponytail, with her hair in ringlets.

"It looks phenomenal, Ange," Mickie told her. The Divas nodded in agreement. "You make it seem you've never been to a big event before."

"Well, nothing that seems to be this big," Angelle replied. The change room door opened and she stepped out. The breaths of the Divas caught. "What?" The dress was ivory white, ankle-length and strapless, with a corset bodice embroidered with what looked like white shimmering branches. Mickie stared at Angelle and grinned.

"That's the dress," Maryse said. Mickie nodded in agreement.

"Definitely. What's your shoe size?"

"Seven."

"Do you have a pair of heels to go with that?" Mickie asked. Angelle nodded.

"I have some white strap up heels back at the hotel." Mickie nodded in approval and Angelle disappeared back into the change room to get changed.

"That date of yours is going to have a hell of a time keeping his hands off of you," Lisa called to her.

"Lisa, you're awful," Mickie said, but all the girls shared a good laugh. Mickie knew Lisa had a point; she looked phenomenal in the dress.

**

Angelle stared at her reflection in the mirror. She was made up and ready to go, but for some reason, she felt overdressed. She gathered her keycard and her clutch that Maryse had lent her and stared in the mirror again. She hadn't gotten really dressed up in years. It felt great, but she still had this sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach that said something wasn't going to go right.

It was four twenty-three and whomever Shane had arranged was meeting her down at the lobby in seven minutes, if he wasn't there already. She gathered her shawl and draped it over her shoulders and made sure she had everything before leaving the room.

She stood alone in the elevator, trying to disarm the weird feeling in her stomach. It was so nerve-wracking to be a part of everything, and Melina's attitude at the salon had put her on edge as well. Angelle took a minute to check her lipstick in the chrome button panel, determined that something was wrong with her appearance. She had to fit with the company image now and she wanted to make sure that she fit it to the letter.

The elevator doors slid open and she stepped out, taking a deep breath. She saw John Cena and he smiled at her, quickly making his way towards her. Angelle felt awkward; she hadn't spoken to John since her first night; she knew he didn't intend for it, but his comment to her had rubbed her the wrong way. Since then she had tried to make sure she wasn't directly in his path during _WrestleMania _week. She sighed, feeling her stomach turn as her hand went to the ring hanging around her neck. He approached and flashed her a smile.

"Milady, your chariot has arrived," he said with a mock accent. She laughed.

"I'm assuming you're Shane's 'Mystery Friend'," she said with a laugh. He nodded and extended his arm. She took it and he escorted her out of the hotel lobby.

"You look amazing tonight, by the way, Angelle. I didn't think you could have topped the dress from the art museum, but you've surprised me."

"Well, I have to confess," she said, inspecting his suit, "You clean up pretty nicely yourself."

"This is strictly a once a year thing," he assured her and she laughed. He opened the car door for her and made sure her dress was inside before closing the door. She fastened her seatbelt and smiled as he made his way around. She had to confess; he was being a total gentleman, something she hadn't seen out of a man in years. He climbed into the car and they drove off towards the theatre.

"Did I offend you the other night?" he asked.

"Huh?"

"About the whole being tough thing. I wasn't out of line, was I?"

"Don't worry about it."

"Well, I don't want you to hate me."

"I don't hate you. Everything's cool," she said. He smiled.

"Good. Do you have plans post-Hall of Fame?"

"Probably back to the hotel to sleep. I have to get ahold of the match card tomorrow, find out who's booked where, make sure the headsets works and then make sure everybody gets to the Gorilla before they miss their cue. Not to mention, I have to take notes for a creative meeting tomorrow because Stephanie is going to be manning the commentator's booth with Vince. Oh, and I have to make sure nobody misses their cue and gives us the wrong kind of _WrestleMania _moment_._" She shot him a stare. "Why?"

"Because the McMahons, Austin and I are all going out for drinks after the show. To kind of let loose before the hustle and bustle of _'Mania _tomorrow. Shane told me I have to talk you into this."

"Shane did now, did he?"

"Yes. He said he's determined to get you interacting with everyone. Now, since you live under a rock, I assume you have no idea who 'Austin' is."

"Steve Williams. He was fired from WCW via FedEx and after a brief stint in the original ECW, he came to the WWF, now E, under the name 'The Ringmaster', which completely tanked before he became 'Stone Cold Steve Austin' and the highest box office draw in professional wrestling history. He's also a three time _Royal Rumble _winner, more than any WWE Superstar in the company's history." John stared at her, befuddled. "I wikipedia'd him last night on my laptop. Same with the other Hall of Famers. I didn't want to look like a total doofus." Cena laughed.

"Gotta love technology."

"I have the strongest feeling it's going to be saving my ass here."

**

"Koko B. Ware...where is Koko B. Ware?"

"He just stepped out for a bite to eat," Ricky Steamboat told Angelle. She had a hard time recognizing Ricky because every picture seemed to be of him in his heyday. He gave her a once over. "You okay, doll? You look flustered."

"First time doing this," she explained. She stared at the clipboard. "So, it's without saying that Steve Austin is closing out the night. The Funks are opening, followed by Koko...Ricky, you're just before Austin. Where's Ric?"

"Wooo!"

"That answer your question?" Ricky asked. Angelle cracked a smile.

"Okay...Bill Watts is after Koko...is JR around?"

"Vince asked JR to do a final read of his speech for the night, and vice versa," Ric told her. "I ran into them in the hall." She nodded. "You look frazzled, beautiful. Do you remember how to breathe?"

"If I didn't, we'd all be in a lot of trouble right now," she said and Ric laughed. "Divas...Divas..." She looked at the clipboard, and it said Barbie Blank was on escort patrol that night. "I need Barbie. Where is Barbie?"

"I'm over here!" she called, rushing over as fast as she could in her stilettos. "You look great, Ms. Harper."

"You, too, Barbie. Okay, you're going to need to be on your feet tonight. I'm assuming you've done this before." She nodded. "Okay, then you know what's required. Von Erich's are before Koko but after the Funks and Howard Finkel..." Her head was spinning with all the information. "Where is Michael?"

"Michael is going over some last minute creative stuff with Stephanie McMahon," he said.

"Oh, for the love of Pete..." Angelle murmured under her breath. "I know business beckons, but we are set to go on the air in half an hour. Okay...has anybody seen Steve?"

"I'm right here," Steve said, approaching Ric and giving the 2008 Hall of Famer a hug.

"Congratulations, Steve," Ric said, "This is your night. It's a pleasure to be here for it." Steve nodded; Angelle could see he was very emotional about this night. Steve turned to Angelle.

"You must be Shane's friend."

"Stephanie's assistant, technician, whatever she wants me to be at the moment," she answered. "Are you ready for tonight?"

"I'm as ready as I'm going to be," he told her. "I don't have a speech written, and I plan on winging it...so how long do I have to make my point and get the fuck out?"

Angelle blinked, surprised by the language. "About fifteen minutes, twenty tops." He nodded. The year before, Hollywood actor Dwayne Johnson, popularly known in the WWE Universe as "The Rock", stemming from his professional wrestling career, had gone on the microphone for over an hour, causing a lot of Hall of Famers' speeches to be cut short. There was a bit of heat backstage because of that, and this year, the McMahons were adamant that everybody followed timelines to a tee.

"Okay...I can probably do it quicker than that..." Steve said. Angelle shook her head.

"Take all the time in that space that you need, Steve," she said. "Remember, this is your night." He smiled. "Anyways, I have to hand the reigns off to the producers now. Everything's proofread, everybody knows who's going where, and now I have to go and get settled in." They all gave her a hug and she congratulated the new Hall of Famers before taking off through the back door.

**

John Cena was in the lobby, waiting for Angelle to reappear and for Shane and Marissa McMahon to arrive. He had to admit, Angelle looked phenomenal. Probably better than half the Divas. He stifled a grimace staring at Michelle McCool, who was in a strapless minidress. The Hall of Fame was supposed to be a classy event...he didn't think the dress was very classy at all. The design wasn't too pretty either. He was wondering how many tacky seventies couches had been slaughtered to make her dress when she saw him staring and flashed him a smile and a wave. He forced a smile on his face and gave her a mock salute before she disappeared.

"Cena...why aren't you inside already?"

He turned to see Vickie Guerrero, dressed in a beautiful yellow silk dress. He gave her a hug. "Vickie, you look beautiful," he said.

"You flatter me way too much," Vickie said with a laugh. "Why aren't you inside already?"

"Well, Ange is backstage doing some stuff and I'm waiting for Shane and his wife to get here. We're all supposed to go in together."

"Do you mind if I go in with you guys?" she asked. She was sitting where the McMahons were sitting as well, in a spot that was normally reserved for Steve Austin, who had been forced to give up his seat for the night since he was taking the stage to be inducted.

"Not at all, not at all," he told her. The door opened and he turned to see Angelle across the room. Vickie turned and stared where John was staring.

"Close your mouth, sweetheart; you're catching flies," she whispered to him. He felt a blush crawl up his neck. "She looks absolutely stunning tonight."

"Yeah," he said, trying to kill the blush before Angelle approached.

"Sorry...God...have you ever tried to give everyone their lineup instructions when they're all scattered to the four winds?" Vickie laughed. "I'm serious. 'Where's Vince?' 'Off with JR' 'Well, where's Mike?' 'Off with Steph'. 'Koko?' 'Out to lunch'." Vickie laughed.

"Hey...you're off the clock now," John said, "So just breathe easy." She nodded and flashed him a smile.

"You look terrific tonight, Miss Guerrero," Angelle replied. She saw Michelle McCool with Brie and Nikki Garcia, popularly known as the Bella twins and her lips pursed in a thin line. _What in the hell are they wearing?_

"Please, Angelle, Vickie."

"Sorry, Vickie. You look great. Too bad some of the other Divas didn't get the formal wear memo." They looked over at Michelle and the twins.

"Heaven forbid one of them drops something," John said.

"Like you'd be complaining," Angelle replied. John went to say something, but snapped his mouth shut. Vickie laughed.

"Did we miss something funny?"

They turned to see Shane with his wife, a demure brunette in a purple dress. "Angelle here was just picking out her best dressed and worst dressed of the evening," John replied. Angelle's eyes went wide; she didn't want anyone to think she was catty like Melina.

"Oh, my goodness, Shane, what are those twins wearing?" Marissa asked, an odd expression crossing her features.

"T-shirts," Angelle answered. Marissa started laughing and Shane smirked. "Are we ready to go in before I completely bury myself?"

"Yeah, let's head in," Shane said. Cena extended both his arms out and Vickie took the left side while Angelle took the right. They all entered the theatre, Cena with a wide smile on his face, and two beautiful women on his arm.


	6. The After Party

**The After Party**

"Barkeep! Another round!" Steve shouted over the loud music and the roaring fans. Angelle felt absolutely ridiculous being so overdressed in a bar, but just looking at Shane, Vince, Hunter, John and Steve in their suits and they didn't feel so bad. Linda was watching the grandkids, all four, and Stephanie and Marissa were having sister-in-law night together at the hotel bar, several miles away from where Angelle was with the guys. She felt odd being the only woman in the group, but Shane was more than insistent that she come along and have a night out. He was making damn sure that she wasn't just doing nothing but work, work, work.

"That was a great speech tonight, Mr. McMahon," Angelle said with a smile as the bartender put another kamikaze in front of her. She still wasn't finished her last one, but it seemed as though Shane was trying to initiate her by getting her dead drunk. Hunter was off with a group of fans, signing autographs and telling jokes about Randy Orton.

"Please, Angelle. You're off the clock. Vince."

"It was a great speech, Vince." She raised her glass. "To the 2009 Hall of Fame inductees."

"Here here," Cena called out as everybody clinked their glasses together. Steve still couldn't take his eyes off of the ring on his finger.

"After all the shit we've done to one another, is it shocking or what that you're the one to induct me?" Steve asked Vince with a laugh.

"What do you mean, 'all you've done to one another?'" she asked. Steve chuckled. She felt stupid for a split second, but there was nothing on Steve's face that said he felt she was a moron.

"Well..." He turned his head and motioned to a long white line with his finger. "See this?"

"Yeah. It's a scar."

"Care to guess who gave it to me?"

"Mr. McMahon...I mean, Vince did that?"

"Sure did. With a steel chair."

"Oh, come on...you've given me way more scars than the piddly one on the back of your head," Vince snapped, taking a sip of his drink. Steve nodded.

"What else have you guys done to one another?"

"Morbid curiosity, huh, Harper?" Cena asked. She blushed.

"Just a touch." She finished her first kamikaze and started the second one.

"Well, one time I got a hold of a zambone, drove it into the arena and attacked Vince..."

"...He also got a hold of a beer truck and hosed me, Dad, The Rock and a few other people down," Shane said. Angelle laughed.

"He attacked me with a bedpan at a hospital," Vince said. "Not to mention filling my brand new Corvette with wet cement and blowing out all the windows." Her jaw dropped and they all started laughing, clinking their glasses together.

"There's definitely been some good times," Vince said with a laugh.

"I definitely wish I was around in your heyday," Cena said to Steve. "You and I...we could have done big things."

"We would have been raising a lot of hell together," Steve agreed, taking a swig of his beer. Angelle smiled.

"What's the worst thing you've done to an advesary in your career?" Angelle asked.

"I threw Adam in the Long Island Sound," Cena replied. "But Steve and Dwayne were doing that shit way before I did it." She shook her head.

"Can't you guys all get along?" The men all stared at each other before answering in unison.

"No."

Vince laughed. "If everyone got along, I wouldn't have a business." Angelle nodded.

"Touche, Mr. McMahon."

"Vince, Angelle....off the clock, remember?"

"Sorry, Vince."

"So are you looking forward to flying back home on Wednesday?" Shane asked. She nodded.

"I don't understand how you guys can go like this during _WrestleMania _week," she confessed. "It's a lot to take in, with the art museums, press conferences, interviews and fan festivals."

"I know," Vince told her. "I remember just like yesterday how close the end seemed when we put on the first _WrestleMania_."

"Really?"

"Yeah," Cena said. "Back in a time where not everyone had entrance music and no one had lights and fireworks and entrance videos and entrance ramps weren't even thought of yet." He raised his glass to Vince. "It's really evolved in the last twenty-five years, man. You should be really proud."

"That I am," Vince said, clinking his glass with Cena's. "And I've been very fortunate to have my family in on this with me." Shane nodded, a smile crossing his face as he toasted with his father.

"Well...I seem to have unanimous fan support for tomorrow," Hunter said, reappearing at the table and taking his place beside Shane. The table laughed.

"Well, it helps your cause that Randy Orton is very good at being a dickwad," Steve replied. Angelle laughed.

"It's the only thing that's saved his hide," Vince replied. "Most companies would not have given him as many chances as we have, but he's good at what he does." Angelle thought back to Mickie talking about his bad reputation.

"What's he done?" The table looked at her. "If you don't mind me asking." Hunter shrugged.

"He just had a lot of anger," Hunter replied. "He's still a moody prick, but back then he took it out on people in the worst way."

"He was verbally abusive backstage, especially to the Divas," Vince replied. "We had an incident with him and a Diva Search contestant back in 2004 that got us some negative publicity."

"What did he do?"

"He decided to tamper with her bags," Shane said. "Got a hold of her Louis Vuitton bag and poured all sorts of lotions, oils and ointments inside. Ruined her stuff, ruined her bag and she left our company screaming to anyone who would listen that Orton was an animal."

"What did she do to deserve that kind of treatment?" Angelle inquired. Hunter shrugged.

"Randy told me that she was just there for the photo spreads and the exposure and that's why he did it. There was word going around that he had asked her out and she had rejected him, so obviously Naitch and I had to sit him down. He had started dating Samantha at the time."

"So what was the breaking point?"

"We had to suspend him for two months in 2006 for unprofessional conduct," Shane told her. "He was caught smoking marijuana backstage and reported. So we let him perform at _WrestleMania 22_ and then we suspended him. Had some storyline where his ankle got broken or something. We let him back early for good behavior because we sent him to anger management."

"Did that do the trick?"

"For the most part," Hunter told her. "He still has his slip ups here and there, but it's not as bad as what it used to be, and for that we're all very, very thankful."

"He's human," Shane said. "It was just a matter of letting him get his mistakes out of the way. He's a young guy and we put a lot on him because we needed to do that at the time. He's gotten used to it all now and he toes the company line just fine. Now finish your drink." The table laughed and Angelle took another sip of her kamikaze.

"If I didn't know any better, McMahon, I'd say you're trying to get my date drunk," Cena said with a laugh.

"Nobody is officially a WWE employee until this son of a bitch gives them alcohol poisoning," Steve said with a laugh. Shane smiled.

"Finish your beer, old man." Steve flashed him the middle finger and the table erupted with laughter. A few fans approached the table, asking for pictures with the Superstars and the McMahons. Angelle was more than happy to take the pictures for them. The picture looked hilarious; Steve and Shane looked buzzed, with Shane loosening his tie before the picture was taken. Vince was the only one who looked well composed. The fans thanked her and wished Hunter and Cena good luck at _WrestleMania_ the following day before disappearing back to their table for another round of drinks.

"Thank God you guys are still in your suits," Angelle replied, taking her seat. "Otherwise I would feel so ridiculously overdressed." Everybody laughed.

"Well, the general consensus was you were the best dressed," Vince replied with a chuckle.

"Well, Mickie, Maryse, Lisa and Candice all helped me make pick the dress," she said. "Did you see how great Candice looked?"

"I definitely wasn't feeling Mickie's animal print thing," Cena replied with a grimace, taking a shot of Jack Daniels. "Or Michelle's dress. Somewhere, a loveseat has been skinned alive." Everyone laughed.

"Aren't we lucky?" Shane asked the men at the table. "We just have to worry about ties, more or less."

"We are lucky," Steve said. "Because I bet you I couldn't pull off Angelle's dress if I tried." She laughed at the thought as she took another sip of her kamikaze. Shane ordered another one for her and she groaned. It was going to be a long night.

**

At four in the morning, Angelle staggered out of the elevator, while a seemingly sober John Cena held onto her around the waist to make sure she didn't completely drop. After consuming close to a dozen kamikazes over the course of the night, she was absolutely wrecked. She was holding the skirt of her dress to keep it from scraping along the floor, while Cena was holding onto the heels she had taken off in the car. "Man, I'm so wasted...and I have to be at the stadium in five hours," she moaned, burrowing her head into his chest. He chuckled. "Mr. McMahon is going to be so mad at me..."

"No, he's not," Cena assured her. "He was there...remember?" She stared up at him, a dizzy smile on her features.

"Really?"

"Yeah, you are wasted," he murmured under his breath. Her hair had become disheveled through the course of the night, the curls now hanging limply around her face. He had to admit; she was a fun drunk...once Shane had gotten a good buzz on her, she had more or less hosted an unofficial _WrestleMania _party. "Come on...let's get you to your room. Do you remember which number it is?"

Her face darkened in concentration. "Four....twenty? No..." she giggled. "I said four twenty." Cena shook his head, a smile cracking his features. He was used to pulling all nighters, so his patience wasn't thin with her at all. "I think it's four eighteen...something with an eight." Cena smiled and led her down the hallway towards her hotel room. She rested her head on his shoulder. "You're really hot, you know that?" Cena laughed. _Man, she is so going to be in for it tomorrow,_ he thought. He had to make a note of it to pick on her a little bit. This was too much. "And you're not a total jerk about it, which is great...Most guys can be so conceited, but you're actually kind of cool."

"Um...thanks..." he said, biting the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing. "Do you have your keycard?" She dug into her purse.

"Um...yeah...here," she said. She was barely standing on her feet, swaying back and forth as though she were ready to completely pass out in the hallway. Handing it to him, she let go too soon and the keycard dropped. She burst into tears. "I'm so sorry." Cena cocked an eyebrow at the severe change of mood.

"Don't worry about it. I'll get it," he told her, leaning down to pick up the card, while trying to hold Angelle steady. She was sniffling, wiping the tears away from her eyes. He unlocked the door and led her inside, leading her to the bed.

"Cena?"

"Yeah."

"Thanks for putting up with me tonight," she said, sniffling. "I haven't gone out in so long..." He smiled.

"Well, we're just going to have to change that," he said, pulling a blanket over her. "Get some rest. It's a big day tomorrow." She nodded and her eyes were closed in an instant. John watched her fall into her restless sleep before he let himself out of the hotel room, shaking his head. _What a night._


	7. WrestleMania XXV

**WrestleMania XXV**

Angelle showed up at the Reliant Stadium with sunglasses over her eyes, her hair pulled back in a high, sloppy ponytail. She hadn't bothered to wear a suit on WrestleMania day; instead going for a pair of khakis that had wrinkled in her suitcase and a white button-down shirt. She didn't look very well and was feeling even worse. It was quarter to ten in the morning, and the day was already shaping up to be a scorcher. Worse yet, she was running late. She spotted Stephanie down the corridor and Stephanie flashed her a wave, making her way towards her at a quick pace.

"Somebody had a late night last night," Stephanie said with a wide smile on her face.

"Your brother is a demon," Angelle murmured. Stephanie laughed. "Where do I find the match card?"

"I've already made the photocopy of it and posted it to the clipboard. I got here at nine. I figured Shane kept you out late last night." She handed Angelle the clipboard.

"Thanks, Steph."

"Do you need a Tylenol?"

"I would kill for a Tylenol," Angelle replied. Stephanie smiled.

"I'll see if I can dig one up for you. Now, Kid Rock and Nicole Scherzinger are going to be arriving at noon to do sound check. Lights are being set up and tested as we speak and the tech guys are constructing the set. Are you good to go tonight?"

Angelle nodded. "I definitely am. Let's get the show rolling."

"Just what I want to hear," Stephanie said with a smile. "The last minute creative meeting takes place at three, just before the show goes on the air. I'll need you to sit in on that for me because Vince and I have to take care of the commentating team and make sure all headsets are working fine."

"Have we solved the problem with Tazz leaving?"

"Yeah. JR, King and Cole are going to call the show together. We'll probably take Striker or Grisham from ECW and put them with JR on Tuesday. From there, I'm sure we'll come up with something long-term." She nodded. "Also, there's going to be some talk about the draft lottery at the meeting today, so for the love of God, please take every note on that, even if it doesn't seem important. That's the next huge step post_-WrestleMania_ so I need every bit of information about it._"_ Angelle nodded and made a mental note of that, although she was having a hard time focusing as a result of her pounding migraine. For as long as she lived, she was almost positive that just the smell of kamikazes in the future were going to make her nauseous. "Good. I have to go talk to Vince and Linda about the lineup tonight. They're thinking Kid Rock, Shawn and Deadman might run over and we may need to pull a match." She handed Angelle a walkie talkie. "I'll hit you up if we're going to pull a match, all right?" Angelle nodded and Stephanie disappeared. Angelle made her way towards catering and decided to get herself a cup of coffee.

"Somebody's looking a little rough this morning."

She turned to see John Cena getting a cup of coffee, flashing her a comforting smile. She shook her head. "Let's not even go there," she replied, taking a sip of the dark liquid. "I feel like hell warmed over."

"You look it," he said with a smile. She scoffed.

"Thanks a lot."

"Hey...to your credit, you're a pretty fun drunk," Cena replied. "Very flattering drunk, too. Some people get pretty conceited when they're drunk, but you're pretty cool. Anyway, I gotta talk to Adam and Paul. See you around." He walked away, an enormous grin on his face as Angelle wracked through her mind and tried to think about what he just said.

"What do you mean 'flattering'? What?" she called after him, but he chuckled and disappeared from her view. _Great...I probably came onto him last night. _She was embarassed that she couldn't remember to save her life. Turning back to her coffee, she let out a soft shriek as she crashed into a small man in a Joker costume. "Jesus!" she exclaimed, startled. She sighed, taking off her sunglasses and resting them on the top of her head.

"Someone had fun last night," he told her with a chuckle. She sighed.

"Sorry...you startled me. Costume looks cool."

"Thanks. I try to do something different every year." He extended his hand. "Oscar. I wrestle as Rey Mysterio, and Rey's pretty much what everyone calls me back here."

"Hi, Rey. I'm Angelle."

"Nice to meet you. Did you at least have fun last night?"

"I did...I think...I can't quite remember." Rey laughed.

"A night out with Shane McMahon will do that."

"Speaking from experience?"

"Most definitely. I don't think there's a guy back here who hasn't had a night out with Shane O'Mac. You learn to get used to it though." She laughed as he got himself a coffee. "Are you ready for the Big One tonight? I heard this is your first time experiencing _WrestleMania._"

"That it is," she confirmed. "It's all so incredible. Everyone sure goes all out for it."

"Yeah, that's because it's seen as our equivalent of the SuperBowl. I still remember my first _WrestleMania._ It was _WrestleMania XIX_ in Seattle, Washington. I dressed up as Daredevil that year. I took on Matt Hardy for the Cruiserweight title, but I lost. It was absolutely phenomenal though, to be in front of close to fifty-five thousand people, doing what you love." He gave her a pat on the arm. "I have to go talk to Bradshaw about the match tonight. I'll see you around. Welcome to WWE."

"Thanks, Rey. It was nice meeting you." He disappeared down the hallway while technicians shot him weird looks for wearing his costume so early. If it bothered him, it definitely wasn't showing.

**

"Ange, you there? It's Steph."

Angelle grabbed her walkie talkie. "Yeah. What's up?"

"Kid Rock is definitely going to go over and so is the Shawn Michaels/Undertaker match. I need you to let Miz, Morrison and the Colon brothers know that their match is being bumped up to pre-show."

"Can do." She put her walkie talkie back on her hip and made her way towards the locker room. At the moment, she felt bad for the tag teams, having to tell them they were being pulled off of the Big Card. Especially after hearing from Rey about how important this card was to the people backstage. She only hoped that they were going to handle it well.

She knocked on a door and a young man with a green mohawk answered the door. "You are?"

"Angelle Harper, Stephanie Levesque's assistant. You're The Miz, right?"

"Mike Mizanin," he said, shaking her hand. "I take it this has to do with our match tonight." She nodded and he turned his head. "Yo, John, verdict's in."

A young man with long brown hair and sunglasses approached, dressed in a pair of blue jeans and an unbuttoned blue shirt, showcasing the most amazing abdominal muscles Angelle had ever seen. "What's the word?" he asked. He extended his hand. "John Hennigan, by the way."

"Angelle Harper. I hate to do this to you guys, but Steph's told me that they're putting your match as a preshow. It looks as though a few of the segments are going to go overtime and so they're relying on you to set the tone before the show." John and Mike shot each other a stare and she wondered if she had said the wrong thing, until both men broke out into a grin.

"I think that's the most optimistic way to be told you're off the WrestleMania card," John told her with a chuckle. "Thanks for letting us know. We appreciate it."

"No problem. I'll leave you two be now; I have to go talk to the Colons..."

"Don't worry about that," Mike told her. "We're just heading over there, so we'll deal with the Butt Brothers ourselves." She chuckled and shook her head. "We're sure you're busy enough, so we'll tell Carly and Eddie ourselves."

"Thanks, guys. Break a leg out there tonight." They closed the door and she disappeared down the hallway. The atmosphere was absolutely electric, everybody excited that they made it onto the Big One, each of them talking to creative members, their opponents and wardrobe to make sure everything was good to go. The former Divas were catching up with their friends that they hadn't seen in years, while a few got introduced to the new batch. She couldn't wait until the show actually started; from the way the McMahons were talking about it, it was going to be huge.

**

"How did the meeting go?" Stephanie asked, approaching Angelle before the show started. Angelle handed her the notes and Stephanie skimmed them over. "You're kidding." Stephanie shook her head. "I don't think that's a very good idea, but I guess we can give that a shot. I like these ideas." She looked up at Angelle. "Miz and Morrison got the word that they're pre-show now?" Angelle nodded as she got her headphones on. She turned the headset on.

"Angelle Harper here. Anybody hear me?"

"Loud and clear. Can you hear me all right?"

"I hear you just fine. I need Miz, Morrison and the Colons to come up to the Gorilla."

"Can do, beautiful." Within minutes the curtain was peeled back and Miz, Morrison entered, with two young men behind him, one with a pencil thin moustache and the other with an enormous afro. "Cue Morrison's music." The entrance music started and the fans jeered as Miz and Morrison stepped through the curtain. Carly and his brother were trying to get warmed up. Stephanie shot Angelle a smile. The music faded and the Colons music started. Slapping hands with one another and readjusting their titles, they disappeared past the curtain. Angelle was nervous; _WrestleMania _was a big night. The sheer magnitude of people out in the stands gave Angelle butterflies in her stomach. Stephanie and Vince were feeding the trio of men at the commentator's table their lines, with Vince getting into it more and more with each passing second, losing touch with reality as though he were just another rabid wrestling fan, and not the chairman of a multi-billion dollar corporation. Stephanie shot her a signal that told her to call for the next person. Angelle looked at the clipboard.

"Nicole Scherzinger to the Gorilla." The curtain peeled back and a stick thin brunette dressed in black appeared. Angelle handed her a microphone. Stephanie shot another signal to Angelle. "Cue Colon music." Nicole was watching everything going on in the Gorilla with piqued interest. Once the four men came backstage, causing Nicole and Angelle to scale back to let them through, Angelle peeled back the curtain and allowed Nicole to make her way to the ring. "Cue opening video." Carly and Eddie, John and Mike disappeared from her sight and she heard some cheers coming from the back area, followed buy raucous laughter. Angelle checked her clipboard. "I need MVP, Finlay, Kane, Mark Henry, CM Punk, Christian, Shelton Benjamin and Kofi Kingston in the Gorilla. We're opening with MiTB."

Phil was the first one through. "Hey, Ange." He flashed her a smile. She covered the mouthpiece of her headset.

"Hi, Phil. Break a leg out there tonight." He nodded. They went silent as they listened to Nicole sing "America The Beautiful". Angelle looked behind Phil at the seven foot tall man, who looked absolutely imposing, standing stoic, gaze ahead as though he were zoned out on the black curtain. Phil followed her gaze and laughed.

"That's Glen, or Kane. He may look scary, but he's a big teddy bear to the girls here." She bit back a laugh at the thought. He looked downright menacing. Stephanie shot Angelle another sign when Nicole had finished and left the ringside area. "Cue CM Punk's music." The heavy riff of Killswitch Engage filled the arena and the fans exploded as Phil rushed past her and out onto the stage. One by one, the men filed out until they were all in the ring, going at one another, doing things that were making Angelle say "Wow", not caring who heard her on the other end of her headset. Kofi Kingston was impressing her to no end with his acrobatics and athleticism, while the others were leaving her jaw agape at the defiance in fear they exhbited. The match came to an end when CM Punk kicked Kane off of the ladder and grabbed the briefcase. "Cue CM Punk's music," she said, and she stared down at the clipboard. "Kid Rock and the Divas." Phil burst through the curtain, smiling and hugged Angelle.

"Congratulations," she said with a laugh. He held up the briefcase and disappeared through the curtain. Stephanie shot a look at Angelle, who looked bewildered. They both shrugged.

**

Angelle stared at the unibrowed man in drag standing before her. Kid Rock was just past the curtain, performing his medley of songs. She eyed his bustier and shimmering pink skirt. He caught her staring. "Don't ask," he told her, his Italian accent missing. She nodded, knowing it was better to listen to the man. She stared down at his legs and cocked an eyebrow. _Is he wearing a garter?_ "All right, ladies," Angelle said, holding back the curtain, "And Tony. Off you go." They all stepped through the curtains, all twenty-four ladies and one Superstar, dancing with Kid Rock before making their way down to the ring.

"Ugliest Diva I've ever seen," Vince mused, causing Angelle to laugh. She stood back as Kid Rock and the band trudged through. The crew began dismantling the stage outside while the fans were distracted with the battle royal. She couldn't believe the sheer magnitude of the show; at all the people in the stands. There were definitely more people there than there were at the _Raw _tapings; at least five or six times over, she thought. It was truly an impressive sight.

**

Ricky Steamboat, Roddy Piper, Ric Flair, Jimmy Snuka and Chris emerged through the curtain into the Gorilla, preparing for their upcoming match. Chris took a look at Angelle.

"Your hair definitely looks better down," he said with a smirk.

"I'll take that under advisement, Jericho." He laughed. "Cue Jericho's music." The countdown started and they heard the pyrotechnics go off before Chris disappeared through the curtains. The legends were all chattering excitedly; for Ricky, this was his first _WrestleMania _since _WrestleMania IV_. "Cue Steamboat." The dragon roared outside and the crowd began to cheer. Angelle covered her headpiece. "Be safe and break a leg out there." Ricky flashed her a smile before disappearing through the curtain. "Cue Superfly." Jimmy Snuka disappeared through the curtain, while Ric and Piper were chattering excitedly. "Cue Piper." Piper gave Ric a slap on the back before disappearing through the curtain, winking at Angelle. She shook her head, a wide smile on her face. "Cue Nature Boy." The loud "Wooo" echoed through the arena and the crowd screamed. Ric smiled at her and straightened his tie before strutting out onto the stage, where the reaction seemingly got louder. Angelle didn't think it was possible. She watched through the crack in the curtain as they stopped and hugged Mickey Rourke on the way down to the ring while Chris watched with utter disgust. To her, it was amazing how great these guys were at acting they hated one another, where most of them always went and hung out after the show. It took a lot of talent, she knew...because she couldn't do it if she tried.

**

"I feel bad for you three," Angelle whispered to John Cena. The three men involved in the upcoming triple threat were standing in the Gorilla, waiting for Undertaker and Shawn Michaels to come back through. "That was probably the greatest thing I have ever seen...I'd hate to be the one to follow _that_."

"Tell me about it," John said with a grimace. "What we just witnessed was a fucking masterpiece." She nodded. The two men had gone for a solid half-hour, with the McMahon's and Angelle's breath catching when the Deadman had taken one of the scariest suicide dives ever witnessed. Everybody was panicked initially that he wouldn't have been able to stand by the ten count, that he had been knocked out or worse, paralyzed. A huge sigh of relief was breathed when he slid into the ring at nine and a half and the match continued, with the Undertaker seemingly not feeling any major side effects from the dive.

The two men made their way through the curtain, drenched in sweat and exhausted. "Mark, Shawn, what a fucking match!" Vince shouted, rushing over to the two men to give them hugs.

"How's your neck feeling, Mark?" Stephanie inquired, concern flashing in her eyes. Mark shrugged.

"I jacked it pretty good, but it's nothing serious, thank Christ," he drawled. "Looking forward to that afterparty more than ever now, though, I tell you." He laughed.

"Speak for yourself," Shawn said, "Cheesecake with the wife and kids never looked so good." The two men laughed and began chattering about their match. Mark and Shawn shook hands, concluding with a hug before they disappeared behind the curtain, into the backstage area, still talking about how the fans had reacted to the match. Angelle was still incredibly intimidated by Mark.

"Cue Big Show's music." The single note echoed out into the arena and the pyrotechnics went off as Paul disappeared behind the curtain. John shot her a smile and she flashed him a quick smile back as she watched Paul make his way down the long entrance ramp. "Cue Edge." "Metalingus" started and Adam disappeared. John and Angelle stood back as hordes of men dressed like him made their way into the Gorilla. "Cue 'Basic Thuganomics'." Cena's old entrance music blared into the arena and the men all filed out as Angelle watched in disbelief. It was a lot of people. When they were all filed out, Angelle gave the word to cue Cena's current music and he gave her a pat on the arm and she flashed him a smile before he took off into the spotlight.

**

"Seven hundred and thirty pounds, Cena," Hunter spat in disbelief. Angelle was sitting with the McMahons, Hunter, Cena and a few other Superstars at the _WrestleMania _afterparty. Mark had a few drinks in him and had taken over as the emcee of the event, which made a lot of fans happy, and probably made Mark happy. Angelle understood he needed to cut loose after the hellacious match he had. "You strong motherfucker. How did you pull that shit off?"

"I was close to the ropes," Cena said with a laugh. Vince shook his head.

"Too modest, Cena. If you couldn't have held them up, the ropes wouldn't have helped you. That was fucking impressive."

"I'm with Vince on this one, John," Angelle replied, "Lifting Adam and Paul like that one on top of the other was extraordinary."

"You got your own little cheerleader there, Cena," Shane said with a smile. Angelle blushed and John smiled. Shane raised his glass. "Here's to another _WrestleMania _come and gone. Next year, we'll be painting Phoenix red." The men all echoed Shane's sentiments before clinking their glasses together and taking a sip.

"Let's hope Angelle's still with us at that time next year," Cena said, raising his glass. "She drinks like a champ." Angelle laughed.

"Yeah...about that, Cena...what did I miss? Earlier you said I was a flattering drunk."

"You were. Get a round of kamikazes in you and you're good for anyone's ego." The table laughed and she blushed. Angelle excused herself and went to the ladies room.

She stared in the mirror, pulling her hair out of the ponytail. She was starting to feel a headache coming on. It didn't help she was still hungover from the night before. Her hand went to the ring around her neck and she slid the top of her index finger through the ring hole. _I wish it would get easier, _she thought to herself, staring at the reflection of the diamond in the mirror. It still shone as if it were new.

"Needed some quiet?"

Angelle jumped, releasing her grip on the ring. She turned to see Maria standing behind her with Eve, dressed in matching strapless minidresses, Maria's in red, Eve's in yellow. "Just a tad," she confessed, "Plus, between you two and I, I think I'm still drunk from last night." The girls laughed.

"Shane's just one of the boys at heart. You gotta watch for that," Eve told her. "So, how did you enjoy your first _WrestleMania?"_

"It was great. Was it your guys' first show?"

Maria shook her head. "Second competing. Eve's first competing. Last year, I tag teamed with Ashley and fought Melina and Beth."

"Ashley?"

"She's not with the company anymore," Eve informed Angelle. "She asked for her release last summer."

"How have you been adjusting to the WWE lifestyle?" Maria asked, concern flashing in her green eyes. "We know it's kind of difficult, especially if you're not an on-air performer and dealing with all the executive and corporate stuff. Eve and I...we're actually from the Diva Search, and it took a lot for us to adjust to the schedule. It's a lot more strenuous than most outsiders realize."

"Really? You two were in the Diva Search?" Angelle thought back to what Vince and Shane had told her about Randy Orton and the Diva Search contestants.

"Yeah. Eve won the contest in 2007, and I was eliminated in the 2004 contest. I kept making phone calls though and I managed to get my foot in the door."

"Have you guys been fans your whole life?"

"More or less," Eve replied. "Growing up with brothers, you had to divide up all the sports evenly." They laughed.

"I grew up watching The Hardyz and Lita and the TLC matches, so it was a total honor to come in and meet them. And to even have a few matches against Lita before she retired was amazing," Maria gushed.

"That's Amy right?"

"Yeah. How did you know?"

"Cena said there was some controversy between her and Adam, but he didn't elaborate."

"I don't know if controversy is the word," Maria said, "It was more like a fucking disaster. Adam and Amy were having an affair while they were both in relationships. Amy was with Matt Hardy, who was also one of Adam's good friends, and Adam was married at the time. It got really awkward backstage after awhile, and there was even a few months where Matt had been fired because he couldn't stop blogging about it." Angelle couldn't hide the look of surprise on her face.

"So do they keep them separate?" Angelle asked. "I mean, have things cooled down?"

"Oh yeah. The number one commandment in pro wrestling is you never take advantage of anyone you're in the ring with for a second, no matter how much you dislike them," Maria told her. "If things had turned into a shoot with Adam and Matt, Matt probably wouldn't have been re-hired."

"But they're definitely not on each other's Christmas card list," Eve said. Angelle nodded.

"I guess not."

A tall blonde that Angelle recognized from the Hall of Fame walked in. "Is Angelle in here?"

"That would be me," Angelle replied, tucking a stand of hair behind her ear. The blonde extended her hand.

"Michelle McCool. Shane and Cena sent me back here to make sure you were okay. They said you've been gone a while."

"Let them know she'll be right out," Eve replied. "She's still a little hungover from last night." Michelle nodded and disappeared.

"She's the one dating the Undertaker, right?" Angelle asked when the door closed. Maria nodded. "That's kind of an odd pairing."

"Anything with Mark is odd," Maria laughed. "He's a cool guy though. He can just be kind of spacey sometimes with all the afterlife and death stuff. He is really into that, you know."

"Just makes his character all the more better, if you ask me," Eve said. They nodded in agreement.

"I'm sorry, girls, but I should probably get out there," Angelle replied, "Before they send the entire Divas Division for me." Maria and Eve laughed.

"If you ever need anything on _SmackDown,_ feel free to hit us up," Eve said. Angelle thanked them for their kind offer and disappeared out into the main area.


	8. The Night After

**The Night After**

Angelle dropped on her bed, exhausted after a turbulent Monday night _Raw. _She was set to leave back to Boston on the noon flight the following day, and she couldn't wait to have three days off although she was more or less sure that she was going to sleep right through them. It felt like the last week had been a whirlwind; with all the _WrestleMania_ appearances, special events and press coverage. It had been a _decent Raw_, the first post-_WrestleMania_ edition that had to set the tone for the next show. The Randy Orton/Triple H/McMahon family feud seemed like it was going to stretch to _Backlash_ while Vickie Guerrero announced that she was taking on General Manager duties for _Raw_, leaving her post as the _SmackDown_ General Manager. With the draft a week away, things were hectic backstage, but hectic in the good kind of way that only the end of _WrestleMania_ could bring. From what Stephanie had explained, Vince became almost intolerable during _WrestleMania _time, driving most of the creative team insane, constantly changing plans and becoming irritable with anybody who crossed his path. It was considered the negative about a positive event. If Vince had become irritable and agitated, Angelle had never seen it.

Looking over at the clock, she noticed a light blinking on her phone. _Who could have called_**_? _** She asked herself.Sitting up, she checked her message and realized it was her sister Elizabeth phoning, requesting that Angelle call her back as soon as she got the message. With a groan, Angelle decided to bite the bullet and call her sister back before she called Angelle during her short sleep hours before her flight. Her sister's voice picked up on the other line after the third ring.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Liz."

"Ange?"

"Yeah. You called?"

"Where the hell have you been? Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"It's after midnight. I just got in from work. I don't work a conventional job, you know."

"I wouldn't call it a job at all," Elizabeth scoffed. "Working with those people." "Those people" dripped with venom and Angelle rolled her eyes.

"You don't know these people, Elizabeth. You of all people should know better than to judge somebody."

"They've brainwashed you into their corporate jargon already, haven't they? It's bad enough millions of people buy into their phony bullshit, but I always thought you were better than that, Ange. I really did."

"Since you didn't seem to think much of me beforehand, I guess that doesn't say much."

"That's cold, Ange."

"It's apt. Why did you call? Just to bitch at me about my life choices? I'm too tired to hear about that right now."

"No, Ange. I didn't. Look...Mike's parents stopped by tonight." Angelle felt her heart freeze. "They left some of his stuff here that they thought you wanted to keep, and I just wanted to let you know I'm going to come up to the Boston area and I thought I would drop it off to you. Is your address the same or has it changed?" Angelle tried to speak, but she couldn't say anything. "Angelle? Are you there? Are you okay"

Angelle shook her head. "Yeah, Liz. I'm all right. My address is the same. I get in at two o'clock tomorrow and go back on the road on Friday."

"I should be out by Wednesday," Elizabeth told her. She sighed. "Angelle, Mom wants me to tell you that she wishes you were closer. Massachussetts is so far away from us and we know things have been hard for you. You're shutting us out, Ange." There was a knock on the door of her hotel room.

"Look, Liz, I'm sorry...but I have to go. Someone's here."

"Ange..."

"I'm serious. Somebody's knocking on the door. It could be Steph. I'll see you on Wednesday." She quickly hung up and wiped some tears from her eyes as the knocking continued. She stood and went to the door, her hand fingering the ring around her neck. She opened the door and smiled. "Phil? Do you have any idea how late it is?"

"Sorry...I'm still a little amped up from the show and Alvin is completely dead to the world," he said. He showed her a bag containing a PlayStation 3. "I remember Cena telling me you don't sleep much, so I thought you might be up for a couple games." She smiled.

"Sure. Why not?" she said with a shrug and allowed him into the hotel room. He shot her a glance.

"Are you all right?" he asked. She nodded.

"Yeah. I was just on the phone with my sister."

"It looks like it wasn't a pleasant call."

"It never is," Angelle replied dryly. He smirked as he set about setting up the PlayStation. She looked at the game. "_SmackDown vs. Raw 2009_. I can honestly say I've never played a wrestling game, so do you think you could bear with me?"

"Sure," he told her. "I'll try to help you along as much as I can."

"But you won't stoop to letting me win, right?"

"Right." They laughed and she went towards the mini fridge in her room. "Would you like a Pepsi or juice or something?" she asked.

"Pepsi would be cool," he said. She pulled two cans out of the fridge and handed one to him. "Thanks."

"No problem," she said. "You a big video gamer?"

"When I'm on the road and have nothing to do after the show," he said. "WWE holds a video game tournament every year, so I do try to game when I can to keep the skills sharp."

"Really? That must be fun."

"It's a total blast. Shelton Benjamin from what I understand won four straight tournaments and retired, undefeated. This year Kofi Kingston won it. We just hold it where we hold Fan Axxess. Gives everyone a chance to kind of let loose amidst all the press appearances and whatnot." He turned on the TV and put the game in the machine. "Do you play video games?"

"I think the last time I played a video game was back when the original Nintendo was out," she said with a laugh. He cocked an eyebrow.

"You don't look that old. How old are you?" She shot him a look and he quickly added, "If you don't mind me asking."

"Twenty-six." He laughed.

"You're not that old. So what was your favorite Nintendo game?"

"Super Mario two. You know...the one where Luigi would jump and his legs would go all funny." Phil laughed.

"I always hated that. Sure, he could jump higher, but when you were having your final battle at the end of each level he couldn't catch shit." She laughed.

"Yeah, but watching his legs go all funny kind of made up for that." She looked at him. "You strike me as a Princess Toadstool kind of guy."

"Well, you would be right about that. She levitated. Out of all the characters, she was probably the best one to use because of that." She nodded. "I always liked this old school game...it was called Kickle Cubicle...and everything was in cubes. It was a kickass game." She laughed.

"I've heard of it. My grandmother had it."

"No shit. Your grandmother games?"

"Hardcore. She's one of those heavy duty RPG kind of gamers." He smirked, impressed.

"And you aren't a heavy gamer, how?"

"Life keeps me too busy," she said as Phil hit the start button, taking them to the menu.

"How have things been going since you started working with Stephanie?" he asked. She shrugged.

"It's all right. I'm her solution when she can't be in two places at once, so it's not so bad," she said. "For my first week, though, I'm just exhausted. Plus, my sister's coming out on Wednesday to my place, so I know my time off won't exactly be relaxing in the least."

"Where's your sister coming in from?"

"Crescent City, California."

"What does she do?"

"Well, right now she's attending UC Berkley studying to be a women's studies professor. But at the end of last semester she was going to be a chef, and then she was going to be a lawyer, and a doctor. I know when she makes up her mind, she'll be great at whatever she does, but she changes it every couple months."

"It's hard trying to pinpoint just one thing to do with your life," Phil said.

"Please," she scoffed. "I don't mean to sound skeptical, but most of the people I've talked to here tell me that they've all had their sights set on this since they were kids."

"Well, we all wanted to be entertainers," Phil said with a laugh. He selected himself in the game and Angelle selected John Morrison. "Morrison, Angelle?"

"It's the abs." They broke into a fit of laughter. She shook her head. "I felt so bad having to tell them last night that their match was being bumped to the pre-show. I felt like I was taking the brass ring away from them or something." Phil laughed.

"John's used to stuff like that. A lot of people cried foul back in 2006 when MNM – his original tag team – was left off the _WrestleMania 22_ card in favor of Booker T and Sharmell against the Boogeyman." She shot him a look. "Booker and Sharmell left in 2007. There was a bit of a drug scandal that broke out after the entire Chris Benoit thing."

"I read about that," Angelle replied. "Something about an online pharmacy."

"Yeah. Booker was one of the guys who got suspended. He felt that because WWE – who had given us all warnings – had posted his name on the site as a suspended Superstar, that they were throwing him under the bus, so he went to TNA."

"TNA?"

"Total NonStop Action wrestling. It's cofounded by Jeff Jarrett and run by a woman named Dixie Carter. It's probably the only other major promotion out there in some form of competition with WWE. I worked there for a short period of time. It just didn't work out. So I went to Ring of Honor, and WWE picked me up from there." He looked at the TV. "You ready for this?"

"How do I hit?"

"Square." She sighed. He was going to kick her ass a million ways from Sunday.

**

"Good morning, Ange," Shane said as she approached the McMahon table for breakfast. "How are you doing this morning?"

"Alive. I guess that counts for something," she murmured. Stephanie and Vince laughed as the waitress filled a coffee mug for Angelle.

"You looking forward to going home today?" Stephanie asked. Angelle nodded.

"I need to sleep for three days," Angelle replied, "Especially since I spent two consecutive nights out with your brother." Shane laughed.

"Your liver will get used to my son Shane in a few months," Vince informed her. She smirked and took a sip of her coffee. "Trust me. You're not the first one to suffer the after effects from a night out with Shane." She nodded and sipped her coffee.

"You all right, Ange?" Stephanie asked. "You seem kind of distracted." Angelle placed her mug on the table and shook her head.

"Everything is fine," she replied. "My sister's just coming out tomorrow."

"Oh. That should be a fun visit," Stephanie said. Angelle shrugged. "She older or younger?"

"Twin sister. Younger."

"Oh, cool. Is it true what they say about the 'Twin Bond'?" Stephanie asked. Angelle scoffed.

"Not with us, it's not," she said, sipping her coffee. Shane could sense it was a touchy topic with her, and knew better than to let his sister keep the conversation going.

"So, now we're onto _Backlash_," Shane said, changing the subject. "It's back on the road to the next _WrestleMania."_ She smiled.

"Any thoughts about how it's going to go down next year...or is it still too early?"

"I'm still looking ahead," Vince said. "Shawn's talking retirement next year and who knows how much longer we have with Mark. But I'm glad that we managed to get the two of them to lock up at _WrestleMania_ before they both retire." She nodded. "But that was probably one of the greatest _WrestleMania _matches of all time." She had never seen a _WrestleMania_ before, so she only nodded at what they said without offering any real feedback. There was definitely no argument, however; Shawn and Mark had an astounding match, and it had given Angelle a lot of respect for Mark and Shawn. She made a mental note to go pick up the box set of _WrestleManias_ when she got off of the plane and spend the next few weeks trying to get herself familiar with the product. She could only imagine Elizabeth tearing her hair out when she came out the day after, having to watch _WrestleMania_ after _WrestleMania_ while Angelle struggled to get familiar with each show. Angelle stood and put some money on the table.

"I hate to cut this short," Angelle told them, "but I've still got to pack before my flight. I'll see you guys on Friday." They nodded, bewildered, but Angelle disappeared.

"Is it just me, or does something seem up with her?" Shane asked. Everybody nodded in agreement.


	9. Elizabeth

**Okay...bad Jennie again...I know...I am so astounded by the immense attention this story has received since I posted it. So here's another bonus chapter today. Happy readings.**

**9. Elizabeth**

Elizabeth pulled into Angelle's driveway at half past eleven on Wednesday morning, while Angelle was in the living room watching _WrestleMania X-Seven. _She had been intrigued at the Shane McMahon vs. Vince McMahon match on the card and decided to start off her _WrestleMania _marathon with that. It had also been held in the same arena as _WrestleMania _XXV, she had noticed, and was curious to see just how many people were there for their 2001 edition compared to their recent outing in the same venue. She had smiled when she saw Chris Jericho with his long hair and shimmering shirts coming down to the ring, accompanied by video of him dressed up like a clown called "Doink" and urinating in William Regal's tea. She had chuckled when she saw Stephanie in her black "Daddy's Little Girl" jumper and crimped hair, telling her catatonic mother that she should be relieved that "One child turned out okay." It was family dysfunction to the hilt and Angelle hated to admit it, but she loved it.

The doorbell ringing startled Angelle and she sighed. She was surprised Elizabeth was even out at her place at all. Nobody from the family ever came and visited; they all just called her to whine that she was too far away. She wondered just why Elizabeth was coming out to drop the stuff off. Normally, she would have told Angelle to fly out and get it. _Liz probably wants a vacation_, Angelle thought to herself, getting up to answer the door. She was still in her pajamas; a pair of drawstring blue pinstripe pajama pants with a black tank top, her brown hair tied back in a loose ponytail. She unlocked the door and opened it to come face to face with her twin sister. Wordlessly, Angelle stepped to the side and let Elizabeth enter with the box of stuff. "I brought the stuff out to you, Ange. I guess they were going through some of his things finally, and wanted you to have a few things." Angelle nodded and Elizabeth put the box down on the living room table. "Are you going to look through it?"

"Not right now," Angelle replied. "Maybe later." Elizabeth's eyes caught on the television, where Stephanie McMahon was paused on the screen, looking down the hall at a retreating Trish Stratus and Linda McMahon. "What the hell are you watching?"

"It's product research for work," Angelle replied, taking her seat on the couch. "I need to get familiar with the product since I'm working there now." Elizabeth scoffed. "Scoff all you want, Liz, but this is stuff I have to do now that I'm working there."

"I can't believe you even agreed to take the fucking job," Elizabeth replied, sitting down on the couch beside her, shaking her head. "Knowing full well all the shit that goes on back there...all the drugs and deaths...it's just so beneath you."

"Elizabeth, did you know that they've been one of the biggest financial contributers to the Make A Wish foundation since the mid-nineties? Or that last week in Houston, they held a public reading challenge for kids at the Houston Library? I know you don't agree with what I'm doing, but at least for all my faults, I don't criticize everything you do. I'd appreciate it if you'd do the same for me."

Elizabeth sighed. "Fair enough. So who's that on the screen?"

"Stephanie Levesque, nee McMahon. I'm her assistant."

"Have you ever appeared on TV?"

"No. That's not part of my job description, thankfully," Angelle replied. "I just take care of creative meetings, production cues and whatnot...Stephanie's been holding three or four different positions backstage since 2007 and she needed some relief. So that's what I'm there for."

"Why can't they just hire more people?"

"Well, right now I'm just there until Vince hires somebody to take over Talent Relations permenantly. John Laurenaitis was originally the head after Jim Ross stepped down, but they felt he needed some supervision, so Vince put Stephanie in charge. She's also in charge of creative writing on all three brands and booking the on-air talent on TV and at house shows." Elizabeth whistled low. Angelle sighed. "I'm sure this business has its dark side, but what business doesn't? You know, in the last week, I've learned that the most important thing people need to realize is they're people, too. Who just want to entertain, but never seem to get any respect for what they do."

"Somebody's buying into this a bit too much..." Elizabeth replied with a roll of her chocolate eyes.

"Liz..." Angelle sighed in frustration, but decided to just drop it and change the subject. "How long are you here for?"

"I'll probably just be here until after dinner. I was actually on my way to Salem to go hang out with this guy I met on MySpace."

"Are you stupid, Elizabeth?" Angelle asked. "Do you have any idea how dangerous that is?"

"It'll be fine," Elizabeth replied. "I've been chatting with him since you ran out on us, so it's not like I'm meeting some random."

Angelle rolled her eyes. "And the guilt trips begin," she replied, getting up to go into the kitchen. She needed a drink. Bad. Her family always led her to drink a little more than she normally would. She wasn't sure how good of a thing that was.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Elizabeth raged, following behind her.

"You guys couldn't have cared less when I packed up and left," Angelle retorted. "Nobody even offered to help me leave, knowing full well for the sake of my sanity I needed to do it. I had to do everything myself, only to have you guys bitch months later that I'm not around to clean up your messes anymore."

"That's not why you left, and you fucking know it!" Elizabeth shouted as Angelle made herself a rum and Coke. "You decided you couldn't handle anything anymore, so you packed your shit, took your ball and ran away. So don't sit here and act for two seconds that you needed to get away from us, like you leaving was all of our fucking fault."

Angelle took a swig of her drink and slammed the glass down on the counter. "I did need to get away from you. I needed to get away from everybody! I needed to get away from all of your guys' nitpicking, criticizing and bitching. I needed to get away from all the fucking stress that seems to follow you guys every time you contact me."

"Oh, so that's it? You just want to disown us?" Elizabeth sneered. Angelle glared at her sister.

"That's not what I said, Elizabeth Anne, and you fucking know it." Angelle shook her head. "You guys all like to twist everything around just to make life more difficult for the people around you. Well, let me tell you something; I'm away from all that now. And it's been nice. It's been peaceful."

"Then I won't obstruct you any further," Elizabeth snapped, grabbing her bag. Angelle sighed, closing her eyes as she heard the front door slam.

**

Eyes red-rimmed and swollen, Angelle opened the door to find John Cena on the other side. His expression softened and he hugged her almost instantly, his enormous arms offering her a modicum of comfort. She clutched onto him tightly, afraid to let go, as she sobbed into his chest. "Hey...calm down," he soothed, "Calm down; it's okay." She had called him after Elizabeth had left, asking him to come out. She had sounded so distraught that he had dropped everything he had been doing with his father and had rushed over. "Come on," he soothed, leading her into the living room. He noticed the big box in the living room and saw some pictures of her with a man on the mantle. "Have a seat. Tell me what happened."

She shook her head. "I shouldn't have let this get to me as much as it did," Angelle replied, taking a sip of her drink. It was the third drink she had had since Elizabeth had stormed out. "This shit happens all the time...I just...I fought with Elizabeth again. Now she's taken off and...fuck." She put her head in her hands and continued to cry. His expression darkened; he remembered her telling him about her somewhat acrimonious relationship with her sister, and he hated to see her in so much pain because of her family. He watched her play with the ring around her neck. What was going on with her?

"Angelle...talk to me here. What's going on? Why did Elizabeth stop by if she just wanted to fight with you?"

Angelle motioned to the box. "She dropped that off for me."

"What's in the box, if you don't mind me asking."

She sighed. "I don't think I'm ready to talk about that right now, let alone look inside," she answered, staring down at the floor. He nodded.

"Fair enough. But you know if you need to talk, I'm here, right?" She nodded. "Look...Ange, how about you and I go out for dinner tonight? Get your mind off of bullshit, and just relax a little bit. I can't in good conscience leave you here to drink yourself into a stupor by yourself. If you're still upset after dinner, I'll drive you back here and you can continue to drink yourself stupid." She sighed.

"I don't know...I should probably try and call Liz..."

"Fuck Liz," he told her. She stared at him, shocked. "I know she's your sister, but it's clear she's causing you a lot of pain at the moment. You're going to cheer yourself up and when you're not feeling like shit, you can call her up. Now, get upstairs, get dressed, we're going out. Is that clear?" She sighed and a small smile pulled at her features.

"Thanks, John."

"I don't see you moving," he said, his expression serious. She nodded and disappeared up the stairs. John stood and looked at the picture on the mantle. The guy was fairly attractive; he kind of looked like Jack Swagger, only with light brown hair and green eyes, and a bit smaller. Angelle looked extraordinarily happy in the photo; John wondered if that was her brother. But she had never mentioned a brother. He was curious about what was in the box...he thought it may have something to do with the ring around her neck or the man in the picture or even both, but he wasn't about to go snooping through her things. It was obvious she had a lot going on inside of her head at the moment. She needed someone she could trust at the moment, and John was pretty sure he could fill the void.

**

Angelle came downstairs dressed in a white spaghetti-strapped sundress with a floral design on it. She was smiling sadly, still visibly hurt by what had transpired between her and Elizabeth. He made his way over to her and gave her a hug. She gathered a white sweater and slid it on, grabbing her phone and her keys before they made their way out. "This is a nice place," John told her. She smiled.

"It's paid for and it's clean," she said with a smile. "I guess that counts for something, right?" He nodded and opened the car door for her. She climbed in and when he was sure her dress was inside, he shut the door and made his way around, climbing into the driver's seat. "I'm sorry, John."

"What for?" he asked, starting the car.

"Everything. You should be off spending time with your family, and instead, you're dealing with my family bullshit." He shook his head.

"Don't worry about it. I still have two days with them," he said. "Anyways, you're out here by yourself and you need friends, too. I mean, do you talk to anybody out here?" he asked. She shook her head. "Exactly. So anytime you need me, you just call me. Don't worry about the time or anything, all right?" She nodded. But she made a mental note to keep her distance; the last thing she wanted to become was a nuisance.

**

"So she was basically just stopping by on her way to meet a random man?" he asked incredulously, signing an autograph for a gaggle of fans while they were waiting for dinner to arrive. It had been a fairly good day; they had gone to different shops, where John had bought a few new jerseys and Angelle had even gotten herself a jersey at John's insistence. Of course, it was for the Boston Celtics, but she didn't watch sports. She had just taken John's word for it. For the better part of the day, he had really gone above and beyond trying to make her forget about what happened.

She nodded. "Yeah. She's meeting him up in Salem. She said that she's been talking to him since I ran out on the family." He shook his head as the fans disappeared.

"She didn't."

"Yeah, she did." Angelle sighed, taking a sip of her drink. "I guess she's right. I did just pack up and leave...but it's so fucking complicated." He shook his head.

"No, it's not," he told her. "If it was right for you at the time, then that's what you needed to do. And if she were in the same position, I'm sure she would want your understanding." She scoffed.

"Right. What goes for them doesn't go for me in the family. That's just the way it's always been." She sighed. "I'm sorry...I shouldn't be ranting so much. You must think I'm a total psycho." She stared out the window of the restaurant. John shook his head, dismissing her statement with a wave.

"Not in the slightest," he told her. "You're just somebody who needs a friend at the moment." She took a sip of her drink. "When did things start getting really bad between you and your family?"

"With Elizabeth it was when we were both teenagers. With my mom it was when my parents divorced."

"Do you ever hear from your dad?"

"Sometimes. He's a pilot, so he's always busy flying here, there and everywhere. I think I talk to him about once a month, if that," she said with a shake of her head. "With Elizabeth, it became really bad when she and I hit the eighth grade. My mom was so into that whole 'dressing the twins up the same' thing and seeing that we looked alike, that it backfired. I understand. Elizabeth wanted her own identity. I did, too. But Elizabeth went nuts about it, getting tattoos, piercings, cropping off her hair, bleaching it. She did everything she could to distance herself from me. It didn't bother me until she started becoming critical of my life. She hit the roof when she found out I took the job here. Told me I was devoting my life to drug addicts and was probably better off just working at a 'crack shelter', as she put it."

Cena chuckled. "She'd feel differently if she had to go through one of our random drug tests," he told her. She smiled. He shook his head. "You can't change a hater's perception, Ange. And if she's going to get really preachy about it and it bothers you that much, then you have the option of not talking to her. And I know you don't like to hear that..."

"You're absolutely right, John. But the more I don't talk to them, the more they tell everybody that I've abandoned them."

"What did make you leave, Ange?" he asked. She sighed as the waitress placed their dinner down in front of them.

"I don't think I want to talk about that right now," she answered. John nodded.

"It has to do with that box in your living room though." She nodded and he flashed her a reassuring smile. A few more fans approached before John started eating and asked for his autograph. He obliged happily before the fans went back to their tables. "I think you're a strong person, Angelle. And I think you're kind of afraid to let anyone see otherwise. This is just an educated opinion, here, by the way, so don't be offended. I think you've spent so much time playing tough that you can't handle the idea that somebody could see you any differently." He looked at her wine glass. "I also think you need to find a happy medium with your family, because drinking after every confrontation is not a good thing." She sighed, and nodded.

"You're absolutely right, John," she told him. He stared out the window for a second before turning his gaze back to her.

"How about I stick around your place tonight? We'll hit up a Blockbuster, rent a bunch of scary movies, get a bunch of candy and watch the movies with the lights out?" She shook her head.

"I appreciate your offer, but I couldn't do that. You have your family..."

"And they understand I have a friend who needed her friend at the moment," he said. "So don't worry about it. We'll pick up a Freddy, a Jason, a Chucky, a Leprachaun, Candyman..." She laughed.

"I guess I can clear all the clutter out of the guest room and you can crash in there," she said.

"You have a guest room?" he asked, incredulous. She nodded.

"I kind of turned it into an office when I realized nobody was coming to visit me, so if you'll let me move a few things out, you can settle in there tonight."

"No problem," he said. They continued to eat dinner, John changing the subject to the upcoming _Backlash._ The Last Man Standing match was going to be huge between him and Adam, and he was definitely thinking that this was going to be the month his good friend Randy finally captured the WWE Championship.

_**_

_"This...is God."_

The blonde in the nightshirt began to run down the alley as the dark figure chased her. Angelle felt her heart in her throat and she jumped when the nightstalker was suddenly right in front of the blonde, who screamed and ran back towards the gate that led to her backyard. John was watching Angelle, an amused smirk on his face.

"You seriously have never watched _A Nightmare on Elm Street_?" he asked incredulously. She shook her head.

"I don't watch horror movies."

"Man, it's going to be a long night," he said. "We have a lot to introduce you to." She laughed.

"If I have nightmares tonight, there is no shot in hell you have of having a decent night's rest," she warned him, taking a bite of popcorn from the bowl in his lap. He laughed. Her eyes widened as she watched the blonde woman fly around her bedroom and dragged towards the ceiling, screaming as her body was being slashed at before she fell from the ceiling, collapsing in an explosion of blood on the floor. The box was still seated on the living room table; Angelle hadn't moved it. The truth was, she didn't even really want to touch it, which made her feel guilty. John caught her looking at the box, but respected the fact that she didn't want to talk about it, so he didn't ask her anything. But he would have been lying if it didn't pique his curiosity. Whatever was in the box definitely had her shooken up. "I can't believe that's Johnny Depp," Angelle gushed. "Look at how young he looks!"

"Well, this was 1984," he told her.

"Touche." She had to admit, she really appreciated that he was there for her, and so close to her place to boot. Taking another bite of popcorn, her gaze fell on the box. She wondered when she was going to find the courage to open it.


	10. Family Emergency

**Family Emergency**

Angelle was excited about the draft lottery, which was in full swing that Monday night. So far, MVP had been drafted to _Raw, _Women's Champion Melina to _SmackDown_, Big Show and Triple H to _Raw_, and ECW had yet to be represented in the lottery. At the moment, John Morrison and the Miz had just learned they were splitting up, leaving the fans to ponder the fate of their popular webcast The Dirt Sheet. After shaking hands, The Miz hit John with his finisher the Reality Check before taking off out of the ring, leaving his former partner semi-conscious in the ring. "Cue Miz music," Angelle said into the headset and she heard the guitar start up on the other side of the curtain as the fans jeered Miz relentlessly.

Stephanie flashed Angelle a smile. The youngest McMahon observed that Angelle seemed to be in a good mood; Cena had kind of briefed Stephanie on Elizabeth's visit and how Angelle was doing as a result. Stephanie couldn't believe that things were so bad between the Harper sisters. She could never imagine having anything less of a healthy relationship with her brother. Shane had helped her through so much and was always there for her at the drop of a hat, sticking up for her ever since she had entered her rebellious stage as a teenager. The idea of them not getting along as adults was foreign to her, but a reality for Angelle, and for that, Stephanie felt sympathy for her.

Angelle stared out of the curtains, watching John make his way up the ramp towards the back area. Phil had filled her in about the _Dirt Sheet_ and had told her to watch it to really understand the characters of the Miz and John Morrison. The general consensus backstage was that it was going to be a shame that the _Dirt Sheet_ could possibly be coming to an end. It was a pretty popular show backstage, and, according to Stephanie, the most popular of the web shows on the company website, outdoing Cryme Tyme's _Word Up _and Anthony's _Santino's Casa._

Hennigan came through the curtain wordlessly, past Angelle, the McMahons and Brisco before disappearing through the black curtain that would take him into the backstage area, where the roster was waiting to learn their fates on their rosters. Angelle sighed; as excited as she was about the draft lottery, her mind was still plagued with what happened last week with her sister. She hadn't heard from Elizabeth since she had stormed out of the house; for that matter, she hadn't heard from the family either. It just felt like no matter what happened with her, drama always followed.

**

When Angelle arrived back at the hotel, she noticed the message light was blinking on the phone. She sighed, and sat down on the bed and called the messaging system. It rang a few times and she hit a button before her mother's panicked voice came through on the other end.

"Angelle, honey, it's your mother. Call me as soon as you get this; it's important." Angelle sighed and hung up the phone for a few seconds before calling the number to her mother's. Her mother answered on the first ring.

"Lizzie? Is that you?" Ronee Harper's frantic voice inquired.

"It's Angelle, Mother," she said. "What's going on?"

"Did Liz make it to your place last week?"

"Yeah," Angelle replied. "She made it out on Wednesday."

"Is she still there?"

"No, Mom. She left the same day she arrived. She didn't even stay for very long," Angelle told her. "She said something about meeting some guy in Salem. Why?"

"Because she hasn't come back. She was supposed to be back on Saturday. She hasn't called, and I'm scared something's happened to her." Angelle felt a lump form in her throat and her stomach start knotting in a way that made her feel nauseous. Instantly, she tried not to think of the worst.

"Try not to worry, Mother. I'm going to see what I can do about it, and I'll keep you posted, all right?" Angelle shook her head. She couldn't believe this was happening.

"Please, Angelle."

"Yes, Mother."

"Call me as soon as you hear something." Angelle nodded and her mother hung up. Angelle put her head in her hands. _Elizabeth had better hope she's in trouble_, Angelle thought to herself, standing to her feet and quickly packing her things. She called the airport to have her flight switched, praying the entire time that Elizabeth was just pulling another one of her stunts. She called Stephanie's hotel room.

"Hello?" A male voice groaned on the other end of the phone.

"Hunter?"

"Who is this? Do you have any idea what time it is?" He whined.

"Hunter, it's Angelle. I wouldn't call if it weren't important. I really need to talk to Stephanie."

"Sure thing." She heard Hunter waking Stephanie up before Stephanie got on the phone.

"Ange? What's going on?"

"Steph, I've got to go home early. I'm so sorry; my mother just called; my sister's missing. She was supposed to be home on Saturday; it's Monday, nobody's heard from her."

"Jesus," Stephanie breathed. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Angelle assured her. "I've switched my flight for four and I'm just packing my things now." She sighed. _I don't even know where to fucking look, _Angelle thought, but didn't bother saying it out loud. Her hand played with the ring around her neck. "I'll keep you updated about what's going on, all right?"

"Keep me posted, and if you need any more time off, let me know. I'll tell Dad in the morning."

"Okay, Steph. Thanks for understanding," Angelle replied. "I'll let you get back to sleep." She hung up the phone and continued to get her things together.

**

"What on Earth are you doing awake so early?" John Cena asked Angelle in the lobby of the hotel. He noticed her bags in hand and he cocked an eyebrow. She looked absolutely exhausted, as though she hadn't slept yet. Phil was with John, along with Rey, Chris, Alvin, Adam and Paul. It was clear the men had all had a night out and were just getting in.

"What are you doing up so late?" she retorted. John stopped her.

"What's going on, Angie?" Chris asked. She sighed.

"I got a call from my mother tonight; my sister is missing," she said. John shook his head.

"Let me guess: she never came back after meeting up with that random."

"You're right on the money here, John. I guess she told Mom she'd be back on Saturday and nobody's heard from her since. Now Mom wants me to clean this mess up and I have no idea where to even start looking." She sighed.

"That's horrible, Ange," Phil said. He gave her a hug. "If you need anything, give me a call." She nodded.

"What do you know about the situation?" Adam asked. She ran a hand through her hair. She was exhausted; she knew that there were going to be a few sleepless days ahead of her.

"I know that she came to my place, we fought, she left to go meet a man she had been talking to on MySpace for months in Salem and nobody's heard from her since she stormed out of my place." Paul whistled.

"Meeting men on MySpace is a dangerous thing," Paul replied. Angelle nodded.

"Don't I know it," she replied. "So it looks like I'm going to have to figure out how to open a MySpace account and see if I can find her page and sift through her friends, see if this guy is on there." John could see her nerves were frayed.

"What are you going to do then?" Chris asked. She shrugged.

"No idea. Like the guy is stupid enough to place his address online."

"You never know," Alvin replied. "There's a lot of stupid people out there."

"I guess I'll just have to pray to get that lucky." She looked at her watch. "I'm really sorry guys, but I need to get to the airport and get home. I've got a lot of work ahead of me."

"Call the Westbury police," John said. "Ask for Dan Cena." She cocked an eyebrow

"One of your brothers?"

"Yeah," he said. "Let him know I sent you to him, all right? He'll make sure you're taken care of. It's out of his jurisdiction, but let him know that I sent you and he'll give you a hand, no problem." She hugged John.

"Thanks for everything, John." She pulled back. "I'm really sorry, guys. I have to get to the airport. I leave at four." She disappeared from the hotel lobby at a brisk pace. The guys all stared at each other in concern.

"I hate to say this," Alvin said, "But it doesn't look good."

"I know," John said. "And the truth is, I don't know if Ange can handle anything happening to her sister on top of whatever she's dealing with."

**

Angelle stood in the New Westbury Police Department, having headed straight there from the airport. Her luggage was still in the car; she hadn't even bothered to make it back to her place. She opted to just stop in instead of calling. There wasn't a whole lot she could do at home anyways.

"You look lost, sunshine. Anything I can help you with?"

She turned to see an female officer with raven hair and a nametag that read 'Petersen'. She sighed. "I'm looking for Officer Cena."

"Was he expecting you?" she asked.

"Well...not exactly...his brother told me to ask for him specifically." The female officer told Angelle to wait a moment and disappeared into the crowd of police. Angelle found herself fidgeting. _Please let Elizabeth be all right_, she thought. She wasn't sure she could handle anything happening to her family, and the idea of having to try and find Elizabeth was just giving her panic attacks.

A man with familiar blue eyes approached and extended his hand. "Officer Dan Cena," he said. "You would be?"

"Angelle Harper."

"You're Angelle?" he asked with a cocked eyebrow, staring her up and down. "Forgive me; John's description of you didn't do you justice. What can I do for you?"

"John sent me to talk to you. I need to file a missing person's report and I have no idea what to do."

"On your sister, right?" he asked. She nodded, but was unable to hide the look of surprise on her face. "John called me. He told me to let you know he'll be out to help tonight. We've gotten the ball rolling already, but unfortunately, without a face on this guy, we can't really give you anything. What do you know about this guy?"

"Not a whole heck of a lot, I'm afraid," she answered. "Just that she's been talking to him on MySpace for a few months."

"Do you know her account URL, password, etc?" he asked. She shook her head.

"Liz and I aren't especially close," Angelle confessed, embarassed. Dan nodded.

"The only thing I can tell you is just go home, sit by the phone in case she calls."

"Good luck with that," she scoffed. "We fought before she left...I think I'm the last person she would call."

"Well, you never know. If she's still in the area, you're the only family she's got, so she might just have to call you." Angelle nodded; he had a point. "I'll keep you posted and see if you can dig anything up on her MySpace account." Angelle nodded. "What does she look like?"

"She's my twin. Here...I'm pretty sure I have a picture in my wallet," she said, fishing into her purse. "It's not really updated, but it should do." She pulled it out and handed it to him.

"Any distinguishing marks?"

"Several body piercings and several tattoos."

"That's a good start," he told her. "What tattoos does she have?"

"She has a tramp stamp of...well, I guess a tribal design. She has a thorny rose on her ankle and a SuperGirl logo on her right forearm." He worked at typing the information in.

"All the vital stats are the same as yours?" he asked. "Sometimes twins are a bit different in measurements and whatnot."

"More or less, it's all the same," she said. "As soon as I can give you some form of information about whoever she's with, I'll be sure to get that to you."

"Did she tell you anything about him?"

"Just that she had been talking to him online for a few months. She didn't seem to think of him as any sort of threat." Dan nodded. "The truth is, Elizabeth's been known to pull stunts in the family, and she could still be with this guy in Salem, or she could be anywhere. Nobody really knows." Dan's expression softened more than it already had; he felt sorry for this woman sitting in his chair.

"Well, what we'll do is finish up this flier and fax it to the other jurisdictions in the state and send a fax out to California in the event she returned there." Angelle nodded, but she knew that was a real stretch of possibility. He stood and he shook her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Ange. You look exhausted. You should probably go and get some rest and I'll keep you posted with anything that I come across. Hopefully, next time we meet the circumstances will be a bit more positive." Angelle nodded and she left the police department, struggling to maintain her composure.


	11. Search and Rescue

**Chapter Eleven: Search and Rescue**

Angelle waited for the phone to ring, and became increasingly frustrated over the course of twenty-four hours, waiting for any word on her sister, with her mother calling at least two to three times an hour, and getting frustrated with Angelle that she had no new information to divulge. Her nerves were becoming frayed, with each phone call getting her hopes up and with having to constantly tell her mother the same information, only to be guilt tripped over making Elizabeth agitated. She was trying to keep the line open for Dan, for the Salem police department, or John; for somebody with some form of idea on what to do next. Angelle didn't have a MySpace account like her sister did; she hadn't subscribed to the craze of social networking, so she had no idea how to open a page, and even worse, she was having difficulty with miniscule areas here and there to set up a page, leaving her more frustrated as the hours wore on.

It was six-thirty, and outside the bright blue sky was starting to fade to a pale shade as the sun began to disappear into the horizon. She hadn't heard from John, or anybody for that matter, and though she wanted to call and press things forward, she didn't want to start pestering everybody because she knew they were working hard for her. Shaking her head, she put her head in her hands, feeling a tension headache coming on. What was she going to do if something had happened to Elizabeth? How was she even going to tell her mother? As hard as she tried, she couldn't stop the worst possibilities from entering her mind. She couldn't believe the stupidity and the severity of the situation all at once. It was overwhelming.

She heard the doorbell ring, and prying herself from the computer she made her way towards the door. Pulling the door open, she found John standing in front of her with two cups of coffee. He handed her one. "I thought you might be able to use one of these," he said, taking a sip of his. She thanked him softly and took a sip of hers. She was exhausted and fighting the tears from coming; it had been next to impossible to sleep the night before. "Any word?"

"No," Angelle said, leading him back towards the guest room.

"How's the MySpace thing coming?"

"It's not," she confessed. "They keep telling me my postal code is invalid, or that my username is invalid, or something is invalid." She sighed. "It's like MySpace doesn't even want to give me a hand." John could tell she was going to lose it at any second and his heart went out to her.

"I'll tell you what," he said. "I'll go onto my account. It's already established and it's good to go." She cocked an eyebrow.

"You have a MySpace?"

"It's been run through somebody else for ages now. Since I had to shut down my last ones."

"What for?"

"Death threats."

"Oh." Angelle blinked. She knew that fan reaction was pretty strong for John, but she didn't think that there were fans out there who were beligerent enough to try and threaten somebody with death. With her sister on the forefront of her mind, she pulled up a stool beside the computer chair as John took his place in front of the computer.

**

"Jesus! How many Elizabeth Harper's are there?" Angelle breathed, feeling her tension headache get worse by tenfold as they stared at the twenty-plus something of pages that came up. It was almost nine o'clock; they had been searching through just about every profile in the first ten to twelve pages, but hadn't come up with anything.

"Evidently a lot," John said, rubbing his eyes. "And...unless we're lucky and your sister posted some kind of a picture instead of a lame ass cartoon character...I'm going to say that we're in for a real long night." She groaned, resting her head in her hands. He put an arm around her and hugged her close as she rested her head against him. "Stay optimistic, Ange," he told her soothingly. She didn't reply, only flashed him a sad smile as she toyed with the ring around her neck.

John didn't want to tell Angelle, but Dan had called him while he was at the coffee house. He had confessed to John that things didn't really look good. They had put out a state-wide APB on her in both California and Massachussetts, but so far, nobody had really called with any information, other than she had last been seen with a guy with longish brown hair and about five foot ten. With no name, they still didn't have a lot to go on, and they were working to get the description out to anybody who may be able to identify him. But neither of them had the heart to tell Angelle that there was a good chance that Elizabeth could be missing for a while, or even worse, that she could be dead somewhere.

"Get me a recent picture of Liz," he told her. "Then go get yourself some rest. You're no good to anyone like this." She sighed and stood, knowing better than to argue with John, rifling through a file for a picture of Elizabeth that would be useful in his search. She found it and put it down beside him on the desk before disappearing from the room. John observed that she was so exhausted, she could barely walk a straight line. He was worried about her safety; whatever was going on inside of her head, paired with the stress of being a WWE employee and this situation with Elizabeth. It was not good for her in the slightest. Standing from his chair, he escorted her to her room and settled her into the queen-sized cream colored sheets and she was out in a flash, almost as soon as her head hit the pillow. John smiled softly down at her. She needed her rest, all the stress was just too much. He hoped that by the time she woke up, he had something to work with.

**

Angelle woke up at half past midnight, still exhausted but feeling a touch refreshed after the nap John had made her take. Pulling the covers back, she made her way out of the bedroom and towards the guest room, expecting to find John still seated at the computer desk. She appreciated everything that he had done for her, and she knew that she was going to have to repay him, but she wasn't quite sure how. He was truly going above and beyond to help her with everything she needed, and for that, she couldn't thank him enough. She stood in the doorframe, surprised to find that John wasn't in the office/guest room. Making her way into the room, she found a note on the computer desk. She picked it up and her eyes skimmed over it.

"_Ange,_

_I managed to find your sister's page and found a 'friend' on there that's from the Salem area. I sent the info to Dan and apparently he got a hit on the guy or something. The Salem PD is handling everything and Dan and I are off to go get Elizabeth and bring her back to your place. If you need anything call my cell, all right?_

_Keep your head up. John."_

She took a deep breath. If Dan got a hit on this guy, then it stood to reason he had a criminal past. As much as Angelle hated to admit it, the fact that he had a past was a lucky break. A chill ran up Angelle's spine. What if something had already happened to Elizabeth? Who knew what this man was capable of, irregardless of how long Elizabeth claimed to know the guy. She thought about calling John and getting more information, but she knew he was busy with his brother and she didn't want to be a nuisance; after all, he was helping bail Elizabeth out of another one of her sticky situations. All she had to do now was wait and pray that Elizabeth was fine.

**

"So, Angelle's a pretty woman."

"Not now, Dan," John said with a roll of his blue eyes. "Not a good time."

"Come on...it's a while before we make it to Salem," he said. "How is she doing?"

"How do you think she's doing? She got into a fight with her sister and then her sister disappears. She's fucking devastated." John shook his head. "I can't believe her sister would pull some stupid shit on her like this."

"Sounds like you really care about Angelle," Dan said. John nodded.

"I do. There's something about her that seems so vulnerable. I don't know what it is, but I just want to protect her from everything." Dan smiled.

"Sounds like my brother's in love," he teased.

"Shut up, man," John laughed.

"What's the hold up with her? I mean, from what I saw, I think she's pretty attracted to you, too."

"You think so?" John asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"I could see it," Dan replied. "It was so obvious. There's something else up with her, too, though. Something I can't figure out about her."

"You caught that, too?" John inquired. Dan nodded. "I haven't been sure how to broach that with her."

"Well, just coming right out and asking would probably be your best bet." John nodded and sighed, resting his head against the glass. As much as he hated to admit it, his brother was right.

**

Angelle was more or less pacing a trench in her living room floor, waiting for some kind of a phone call from John. She wanted to call them, but she hated to think that she was obstructing Elizabeth's rescue in anyway. It seemed ridiculous to feel as though she was being a nuisance to them in the situation, but she didn't want to make things worse for them.

She pondered about Elizabeth's situation. How could she be so stupid to put herself in danger like that? She knew that she owed John huge for being so helpful in the situation. A chill ran up her spine as she watched the time on the clock. She would be surprised if they made it back by dawn, taking care of everything afterwards. She just hoped Elizabeth was alive to cooperate with them.

The telephone on the end table rang and Angelle rushed to the phone, catching it on the first ring. "John?"

"What?"

"Who is this?"

"It's Phil, Angelle."

"Oh."

"You sound happy to see me," he teased.

"Sorry," she said sheepishly. "Just a lot going on."

"I can understand that," he told her sympathetically. "What's going on now?"

"Dan got a hit on the computers with the guy she's with, so they're off to see if they can get her."

"A hit?"

"I guess he's a career criminal or something for all I know. But Dan called over, so he and John are off to go and pick her up."

"That's great," he said. She could sense him smiling on the other end of the phone. She nodded.

"Yeah," she sighed.

"What's wrong?"

"Well, God only knows what could have happened to her, or what could happen to her before they get there," she replied.

"Try not to think about that," Phil assured her. "Just try to think about the positives."

"Well, in the next hour or so I should know how positive I've got to be."

**

Dan Cena and several officers burst into the house of David Kazmarek, while John waited outside in the car, drumming his fingers impatiently against the window. He hated having to stay in the car and wait for them to apprehend Elizabeth, but he wasn't a police officer. He couldn't just expect Dan to hand him a gun and tell him to go for the gusto. _12 Rounds _was not a law enforcement prerequisite. John smirked at the thought.

With the windows down, he could hear the loud shouting in the house, trailing out from the open front door and towards the car. He wondered if Angelle was still asleep. He didn't want to call and wake her; the poor woman had already been through so much. There was no need to call her and worry her even more until Elizabeth came out.

Inside the house, Dan had his gun drawn with another officer behind him while they handcuffed a stunned and high Kazmarek in the living room. "Do you think there's an attic here or something?" the officer asked Dan. Dan shrugged.

"I don't know," he answered as they made their way down the hallway. He spotted a string hanging from the ceiling by the window. Dan motioned for the officer to move ahead of him and pull down the cord while Dan aimed his gun at the ceiling. Slowly, the door to the attic opened and the two officers made their way up the ladder towards the attic.

"You see anybody up there?" Dan asked. The officer nodded.

"I see a woman. Think it's Elizabeth?"

"Could be," Dan mused as they made their way into the attic. They made their way over to her. She wasn't moving.

"Do you think she's unconscious?"

"I hope so," Dan replied. "Go call for the medic." The other officer nodded and took off while Dan crouched down. There was a pretty nasty gash above her eye. He went to pull the tape off of her mouth and jumped back in shock when her eyes snapped open.

**

"John?"

"You're awake."

"Yeah. I got your note. What happened? Is Liz okay?"

"She's fine, Ange. We're just getting ready to come back. She's refusing medical attention, so once Dan and the guys get her statement, she's free to go. Do you think you could put breakfast on before we get back? It looks like your sister hasn't eaten in days."

"Yeah. I could do that," she said, breathing a sigh of relief. "Are you hungry, too, John?"

He thought about it. He hadn't had anything since the donut on the way to Angelle's when he brought her the coffee. "Yeah, I guess I could eat," he told her. "I'm just more exhausted than anything."

"You sound it," Angelle replied. "I'll have a cup of coffee waiting for you when you get back."

"That sounds good," he said with a smile crossing his features. "I'll see you when we get back." He hung up the phone and she set about calling her mother to let her know that Elizabeth was safe. But Angelle was still agitated; how could Elizabeth do this to the family? What possible reason could she really have for putting herself in that kind of danger? Shaking her head, she tried to push the thoughts away as she dialed the familiar number of her mother's.

**

As far as John was concerned, Elizabeth was nothing more than a pain in the ass. Dan was finishing up a few things with the other officers while John was driving Elizabeth's car back to Angelle's, with Elizabeth resting in the backseat. He was still incredulous at how selfish that Elizabeth was, putting Angelle through all that pain and suffering for nothing more than a sibling argument. To him, this entire situation was bred out of spite and it sickened him.

"Friend of my sister's, huh?" she drawled, breaking the silence. "Let me guess: you're one of the wrestlers."

"Yeah," he said. She was silent and he cocked an eyebrow. "What's this? No wiseass cracks about us being drug addicts?" He wasn't making it a secret that his patience was thin. She had been downright hostile to Dan and the officers while giving her statement, but not before creating a huge scene that John was driving her car back to her sister's with her. She had refused medical attention, she had verbally abused both him and his brother, and to top it all off, she didn't want to see Angelle. At the moment, he could have cared less about how angry she was at him; there was no chance in hell she was going home without Angelle knowing she was all right.

"She told you about all that, huh?" Elizabeth smirked. "Go figure. Bitch." John shook his head in disgust and couldn't bite his tongue any longer.

"You know what, Liz? Your sister is back at home, worried out of her mind about you. She was busting her ass trying to find you for twenty-four hours straight. I had to put her to bed because she couldn't function as a human being! I'm telling you now, I'm not going to lecture you about the situation, but you are definitely going to watch how you talk about her when I'm around. Grow the fuck up."

"Oh, like she did?" Elizabeth countered hotly. "Did she tell you why she left California?"

"She hasn't told me anything," he replied tersely. "It's none of my business." He adjusted the rearview mirror and his face darkened at the cut above her eye. "But she did tell me you took off to Salem to meet a guy you didn't even know. And since you two were fighting before you ran out on her, she probably never would have known that something was wrong if your mother hadn't have called her Monday night." Elizabeth squeezed her eyes shut as a jolt of pain coursed through her, but John wasn't letting her off so easily. "Seriously, you two need to fix whatever's between you, because I don't think Ange can handle much more of this."

"Good grief," Elizabeth snapped, sitting up in her seat and rifling through her purse. She produced a cigarette and lit it up. John hated the stench of cigarettes, but knew he couldn't lecture her about smoking in her own vehicle. She took a long drag. "You act like she's a victim here. It's Angelle's nature to just pack up and run when things get too difficult. She did that shit with Mike, and now she acts like we're being so unreasonable because we didn't want her to be so far away."

"Have you ever thought of putting yourself in her position?"

"Nobody wants to be in her position," she countered. "We all get that. We tried to be there for her, but she just pushed us away. I even brought her a box of his stuff and she won't even look at it. How patient am I supposed to be here? It was two fucking years ago!"

"What was two years ago?"

"She never told you?"

"She said she's not ready to talk about it," John said. He knew better than to ask her about what was going on in Angelle's head, but he would have been lying if he wasn't intrigued.

"Angelle is never ready to talk about it," she replied. "But I guess since you're her friend, you can talk to her about it yourself." John nodded, and Elizabeth went silent for a few minutes. "So, a professional wrestler, huh?"

"Yeah. From what I understand, you're a radical feminist." Elizabeth chuckled.

"Angelle always makes things sound worse than what they are."

"So what's up between the two of you?" John asked. "You're supposed to be twin's, for Christ's sakes. You two should be close. Twin bond and all that..."

"Angelle figures that it started becoming different in high school. That I had an identity crisis." She took another drag on her cigarette. "I guess that's not a stretch. You don't have a twin, so I gues you could understand what it's like to be in the shadow of your sibling. Stuck in her shadow, with no way to get out because every time you look in a mirror all you see is _her. _So I did something different while Angelle decided to stay as that good old-fashioned goody-two shoes that she is."

"Look, Elizabeth...I don't know what's up with Ange, or with the entire situation...but even if she's not ready to talk...I know that she needs you guys. Do you ever really call her?"

"Not really," she confessed. "We just argue when I do."

"Do you ever think that criticizing her isn't going to help things? Forgive me for saying this, but for somebody who is so desperate to be out of Angelle's shadow, you seem desperate to have her in yours." Elizabeth cocked an eyebrow.

"That's insightful." She flicked her cigarette butt out the window of the car. John smirked.

"I did go to college, you know." Elizabeth blushed. "Look, Elizabeth, I'm not asking you to be a fan of what we do. There's millions that are and there's millions that aren't. But for the love of all that is good and holy, this is what Angelle is doing, and this is good for her. She's going out, she's making friends, she's making good money and she's traveling and seeing the world. If what you're saying is true and she's in a bad way mentally, then this is great for her. Getting preachy over it and pressuring her to quit is only going to make her stay depressed." Elizabeth sighed.

"You're right." He pulled out his cell phone. "Who are you calling?"

"Your sister," he said. "After the night you had, you can stay at her place tonight and head back to California tomorrow."

**

"Yeah?"

"Hey, Ange. Is the guest room good to go?"

"Yeah. What's happening?"

"Well, Elizabeth and I talked, and we agreed it'd be better for her to stay at your place for the night. Is the guest room good to go?"

"Yeah," she said. "I just have to clear a few things off of the bed, but yeah, it's good to go. Is she all right?"

"She's fine," John assured her. "Did you call your mother?"

"Yeah. She's relieved, but she wants to tear a strip off of Lizzie when she gets home. Don't say anything because we want Elizabeth to go back." John chuckled. "How far away are you?"

"I'd say we're another half hour or so," he told her. "I'll see you when I get there, all right?"

"All right, John. See you soon."

**

"Oh, my God."

"What?" John stared at Elizabeth's surprised expression from the rearview mirror. She began to get herself into the passenger's seat. "What in the hell are you doing?"

"Lighten up," she snapped with a roll of her eyes. "We're at a stoplight." She buckled her seatbelt as the light turned green and John continued to drive. "I can't believe it...I should have seen it...what with all the chaos and everything I just guess I wasn't paying attention...but wow..."

"What?" he snapped.

"You have a crush on my sister," Elizabeth said with wide eyes. John shook his head, a grin tugging at his features. "Yes, you do," she charged. "You were practically glowing on the phone with her. You're still glowing!" John was trying hard to stop smiling, but he was failing miserably. "Admit it!"

"Your sister is...very pretty," he said. "But we're very good friends. Nothing more."

"But you want it to be more," she said. "I can read that off of you." John looked at Angelle's twin, who was so much like her, yet so very different.

"You should get the cut above your eye checked out tomorrow," he said, hoping to change the subject. Luckily for him, Elizabeth took the bait.

"I'm fine," she confessed, resting her head against the glass. "I'm just glad it's over."

"What happened, Liz?"

"We were just having a good time. He decided to play a 'game', and it just got out of control." John shook his head. He was thankful at least one sister had some brains in the family.

**

John entered the house with Elizabeth in tow to hear Angelle rushing around in the kitchen, trying to get breakfast ready for them. He didn't mean for her to do anything fancy; but it stood to reason that Elizabeth was more or less dehydrated from all the events that had happened. He was hoping that Elizabeth never pulled this stuff on Angelle again, leaving her to worry that she had been hurt, or worse, killed, at the hands of a random man online.

"We're back, Ange!" John called out, entering the kitchen. He cocked an eyebrow. She had made a huge breakfast, almost like a buffet. Obviously to keep busy over the time that she waited for them to return. But he was amazed if there was any food left in the house; it seemed like it was all on the table. Elizabeth made her way over to Angelle, who looked visibly upset, leaned against the kitchen sink, staring down at the tile. When they had pulled onto the block, John had really read Elizabeth the Riot Act, making her promise that she would try and be a better sister.

Elizabeth sighed. "I'm sorry, Ange. But you need to understand that you're not meeting us halfway here. We all know you're going through a lot, but you can't shut us out here. We need you to let us in, and not act like we're guilt tripping you."

"So to make me see this you take off to meet with a man that you know nothing about?" Angelle said softly, her eyes blazing as she looked up. "Do you have any fucking idea how scared I was, Elizabeth? Do you?" It was clear that Elizabeth felt terrible, but Angelle refused to let her off the hook. "Do you think for a second that I could have possibly not found out for weeks? Or that I could handle losing somebody else close to me? Really, Elizabeth? You want to try and flip this like it's my fault? How fucking dare you." John approached and put an arm around Angelle.

"Liz, go get yourself some breakfast," he said. "It's been a long few days." She nodded and went and sat down at the kitchen table. He gave Angelle a hug, and she clutched to him tightly, her hands fisted in his Chain Gang jersey.

"Thank you, John. I owe you so much."

"Just have a seat and eat, all right? You need to keep your strength up, too," he said. Angelle nodded and sat down next to John at the table. They all ate in silence, unsure of how to talk to one another after all the chaos.


	12. Wipeout

**Wipeout**

"Jeez, you okay, Shane?"

"Yeah...fine," he said, a tad irritated, rubbing the back of his neck to soothe the muscles. The premiere episode of WWE Superstars was officially over, with the crew setting up for _Raw_, with Shane McMahon having just had a battle against Legacy member Cody Rhodes. However, in hitting the Coast to Coast after he had been disqualified, he had slipped on the top rope and while he did manage to have at least a foot connect with the trashcan, he hit his head pretty good on the way down, leaving him dazed in the ring for a few minutes. He shook his head, hoping to get the irritation out of his tone before he addressed Angelle again. "Are you okay? Steph and Cena were telling me about what happened with your sister last week." She nodded.

"Everything's fine," she said. Shane shook his head.

"She's lucky you didn't kill her," he said. "Stephanie used to pull shit like that on me all the time, and I used to have to go and bail her out. But at least when her teenage years were over, that shit was over, too." She nodded. "She's lucky to have a great sister like you, though, who worries about her."

"Try telling her that," Angelle scoffed. Shane laughed.

"She'll see it eventually. Some people are a bit slower than others." She laughed.

"I'll testify to that." Shane shook his head from side to side, as though to work the kinks out, as Stephanie and Vince approached.

"You all right, Shane?" Stephanie asked. Shane nodded.

"I slipped a bit on the rope, but at least I didn't eat canvas halfway to the mark," Shane laughed. "One of these days that will happen and it will suck worse than anything that has ever sucked before." Stephanie and Angelle laughed.

"That's an impressive feat though, Shane," Angelle said. "I don't think I could clear the ring corner to corner like that." Shane laughed. "How much practice did it take?"

"Not as much as you'd think," Shane replied. "The Shooting Star Press on the other hand..."

"I'm glad you stopped using that," Vince said with a roll of his eyes. "You never could land on your target." Everyone laughed. Shane shook his head.

"You were one of my targets, Dad."

"And you missed."

"Touche." Stephanie looked at Angelle.

"You busy after the show tonight?"

"Um..." Angelle blushed. "Cena and I are going out after the show or something. I think that's what he was getting at earlier..."

"You've been hanging with him a lot lately," Stephanie observed. A wide smile spread across Angelle's face, even though she fought to stop it.

"Look at her – she's blushing like a schoolgirl!" Vince laughed.

"Somebody's digging on The Champ!" Shane laughed.

"I seriously hate you guys," Angelle laughed, a deep scarlet blush crawling up her features. "Seriously, could you announce that any louder, Shane?"

"I probably could," he told her. "But since you were being sarcastic, I probably won't." She laughed, shaking her head.

"Why don't you invite Cena to come out with us?" Stephanie asked. "Batista, Legacy, Beth, Anthony and Lilian are all coming out with us."

"That's quite a group," Angelle said, blinking.

"Come out with us," Shane said. "You know we'd love to have you."

"I'll go ask Cena, all right?" she laughed.

"Well..."

"Okay, okay, I'll go do it now," Angelle laughed.

"Oh, on your way there, can you tell Vickie Guerrero to meet at the Gorilla? _Raw _tapings start soon and we need her first thing."

"Sure." Angelle made her way down the hallway. She was looking around at the people who were there. There was Michelle talking to Victoria Crawford, who competed under the psuedonym Alicia Fox. She had been drafted to SmackDown in the supplemental draft, and it appeared that Michelle was going to take her under her wing for the time being. Then there was Morrison and Melina hanging out; the word around the locker room that the two had started dating again, which seemed to work out because Morrison had been drafted to SmackDown in the supplemental draft, leaving the old pastures of the ECW stomping grounds. In the distance, she spotted Vickie and Chavo talking at catering.

"Vickie!" she called. Vickie turned her head and stared as Angelle made her way over.

"Hey, Angelle, how are you?" Chavo asked. Vickie gave Angelle a hug.

"I'm doing great," she said. "Vickie, Steph told me to tell you that we need you at the Gorilla because _Raw _is set to start taping." Vickie nodded and excused herself. Chavo flashed Angelle a smile as she got herself some coffee.

"How are you enjoying WWE life?" he asked. "Now that you've been here for about a month."

"It's great," she said with a smile. "Everybody's been so nice. Even the moodiest guys have been nice to me."

"That's good to hear," he said. "I hate to cut this short, but I've got to run. I've got to go talk to Rey-Rey. I'll see you around. I'm glad you're having fun here." She nodded and he gave her a pat on the arm before he disappeared down the hallway while Angelle continued to make her way towards the locker room of John Cena.

She knocked on the door and waited for him to answer. The technicians were rushing about in a flurry, trying to get ready for Raw before the show started. Finally, after knocking again, he opened the door, the championship slung over his shoulder, dressed in a Hustle, Loyalty, Respect T-shirt with his trademark denim shorts and a U Can't See Me baseball cap. "Hey, Ange," he said. "What's up? Am I needed already?"

"Probably. But this is kind of a personal call about after the show," she said. He cocked an eyebrow.

"Oh? Everything good for later tonight?"

"Oh yeah. Everything's fine. Steph and Shane want to know if we want to go out with them tonight instead." She saw John hesitating over it. He was quiet for a few moments.

"Who else is going?"

"Um...Beth, Legacy, Anthony, Dave, Lilian...and I think Shane and Steph. Or just Shane. I can't remember. They wanted me to ask if we were in." He leaned against the door and gazed down at her.

"What do you think?"

"I think it could be fun, but if you just want to hang out with me tonight, there's no problem with that either. I'm leaving it up to you."

"Thanks a lot. No pressure." He stopped and sighed. "I think it would be fun. Let them know we're in...but you and I...we're going to hang out one on one pretty soon."

"You're on, Champ," she said with a grin. "I have to take my place in the Gorilla, though. I'll see you later." He nodded and she disappeared while he went back into the locker room. _Backlash _was in two weeks and it was shaping up to be big. Adam and John were going all out to plug their Last Man Standing match and with both titles on the Monday night program, Angelle was pretty sure the plan was for John to lose to Adam. It's not like John cared; it seemed as though he had been happier since Elizabeth had been rescued and it seemed like there was something blossoming between the two of them. He was still consumed by the business...but he wasn't as consumed with it whenever she was around. It was a strange feeling for him, but he couldn't help but wonder if she was aware of this.

Angelle took her place at the Gorilla, where Vickie was already there to make her initial Monday night address. Stephanie looked across to Angelle. "Is he in?" she asked.

"Yeah," Angelle replied. "He's in."

**

Back in his locker room, John was with Paul, Adam, Alvin and Phil. "So, what's up for tonight?" Adam asked John. He shrugged.

"Going out tonight with the McMahons and Ange," John said. "She stopped by before tapings started to ask if I would join them."

"You've been spending a lot of time with her lately," Phil observed. John was a perceptive man; he could sense the hostility resonating from Phil's tone, but knew better than to bring it up in public, in front of everyone. He shrugged.

"She needs friends," he said. "And I happen to be in her area, so we hang out." John and Alvin exchanged odd glances with one another. Phil didn't seem to be happy with his explanation, but became quiet nonetheless while John explained to all of them who was coming out. Adam said he might come out, which prompted Phil to break his silence.

"Maybe I should come out, too," Phil said.

"You don't drink," Alvin said, cocking an eyebrow. He shot a look at Cena.

"Doesn't mean I can't go out and have fun," he retorted. Alvin shrugged at the suggestion and Phil got up and left, murmuring something about having to do a web interview. John cocked an eyebrow.

"What the fuck was that all about?" Adam asked, running a hand through his hair.

"Beats me," John said with a shrug.

"It looks like our favorite little punk has a crush on Steph's assistant," Paul said.

"And he probably feels threatened by your presence," Alvin said with a shrug. "Alpha male thing."

"Get out of my face with that psychology shit," John laughed, shaking his head as he readjusted his cap. "I didn't think that you were into that shit anyways."

"Do you wish there were something more going on?" Alvin asked, ignoring Cena's other comments. John shrugged.

"Angelle's got a lot of shit going on right now," he said, "And the last thing I want is to pressure her into anything. If she likes me, or if she likes Phil, she'll deal with that when she's ready. Until then, I'm her friend, nothing more, nothing less, okay?" The guys nodded.

"But you do like her," Paul stated. John shrugged.

"Have you seen her? I'd have to be a blind man not to think she was gorgeous," he told them. "I mean, a girl that beautiful? It's a shame she's not a Diva so everyone can look at her."

"That's sweet...in a really weird, WWE-sort of way," Adam laughed.

"You've never used that line before, Adam?" Paul teased.

"Fuck no... that one's definitely a Cena Original." The room broke into laughter.

"Keep it in your mind, guys," he told them. "You know, for when you guys finally talk to a girl."

"Ouch," Alvin said, recoiling as though Cena had physically slapped him.

"Total ownage," Adam agreed with a laugh. "So do you really think Phil's gonna go out tonight?"

"Probably. Though I can't imagine how much fun he can have at a club with drunken athletes." He shrugged. "So long as he doesn't make things too difficult for Angelle, he can go wherever the hell he wants."

"You sure are protective of her," Adam said.

"Yeah," Paul agreed. "What's up with that?"

"She's practically a neighbor, all right?" he said. "And like I said, she's got a lot in her head at the moment and I just want to make sure nobody fucks with her." The guys nodded, but Cena could tell they didn't believe him. He left the locker room so he could make it to the Gorilla before he was needed to drive Vickie crazy.

**

They all pulled into the parking lot of a club called Willow's and they merged together, constructing a game plan. Shane and Stephanie were excited to be having a night out with everybody, and Beth, Anthony and Lilian were excited to spend a night out with Angelle, who had her praises sung by not only Stephanie, but John and Phil. Lilian was sure that she and Angelle were going to become good friends, as Mickie James also liked Angelle.

"So what's the game plan?" Stephanie asked as Hunter draped an arm around her shoulder.

"I don't know what your game plan is, but I'm planning to stay semi-sober tonight," Angelle retorted. "I still have to be coherent for _SmackDown _tomorrow. So no kamikazes, Shane-O." Stephanie nodded in agreement while Shane snickered and the guys groaned in disappointment.

"I'm with Harper here. Tomorrow's going to be busy for the two of us, so if you guys plan on getting drunk, we'll be the designated drivers," Beth replied. Hunter seemed to think it was a good idea, but he didn't plan on drinking very much as well, which had Stephanie agreeing to keep herself in check as well. The Divas agreed to be designated drivers while the men vowed to party harder than they had at _WrestleMania. _Everyone pretty much agreed with the system, and they began to make their way towards the front entrance..

A car, midnight blue, pulled up in the parking lot, the light flashing on the entire crowd of Superstars. They turned to see the car as the lights faded and Phil got out of the car. Angelle cocked an eyebrow. "Phil? What are you doing here?"

"Ouch," he teased. She shook her head.

"You know what I meant," she replied. "I mean, this is a nightclub. It's not normally a 'straightedge' hangout." Phil grinned.

"I told John earlier that I was going to come out. Didn't he tell you?" he asked, shooting a stare at Cena. If John was fuming at Phil's presence, his demeanor definitely wasn't showing it. But John caught on to what Phil was doing, and he was not impressed. But Angelle wasn't catching on. He wondered if anyone else caught onto it. Dave and Randy looked uncomfortable about it.

"I didn't talk to John much tonight, so he didn't have much chance to tell me anything," she confessed sheepishly. "You know how it is. Life of a WWE employee." Phil cocked an eyebrow at John, who was shaking his head at the gall on the man in front of him. Phil knew she was trying to rationalize just why John didn't say anything. Stephanie and Shane both sensed the tension building between the two men and decided to break the ice a little bit.

"I say let's quit wasting our time inside and go inside," Shane said with a wide grin.

"I'm with you there," Lilian replied. Lilian and Beth walked Angelle into the club, while Phil and John followed close behind, exchanging what seemed like death stares at one another.

**

Angelle was on the dance floor with Lilian, Beth and Stephanie, swaying her head to Britney Spears' "Circus". She looked great; having changed into a black halter minidress with heels that flattered her toned legs. Stephanie was still in her business attire; having left the blazer in the car. Beth was in a pair of black tights with a flowing gold top with a sloping neckline, her blonde hair in curls. She was surrounded by men who were asking her what she was doing with a guy like Santino while Anthony was at the bar, trying to pick up a woman that had caught his eye. Lilian had opted to stay in her ring gear; a white layered miniskirt and a black halter top embedded with jewels. There wasn't a man in the club that wasn't staring at the women, some who were forward enough to approach, others who wanted to completely steer cleer of them out of nothing more than sheer intimidation. And, being the good-natured woman she was, Angelle found she was constantly taking pictures for everybody who wanted to pose with Cody, Ted, Randy, Hunter, Shane, Stephanie or the others.

The Divas were all swaying on the dance floor while the men were off dancing with others, while Hunter stayed back at the table with Dave and Randy, having an unofficial Evolution reunion. Stephanie spotted Hunter staring and waved at him. He waved back.

"So what's up with Phil and John, Ange?" Beth asked. "Do you know?"

"What do you mean?" Angelle inquired, cocking an eyebrow.

"Come on – you seriously didn't notice the way they were looking at each other tonight?" Lilian asked. "They could have killed each other with the looks they were giving each other!"

"I don't know," she said. She shook her head. "I guess I'll have to ask them."

"You'll have to do that separately," Beth told her. "Between those two, it's a miracle there's no blood on the walls yet."

"I wonder why that is," Angelle mused. "They were pretty good friends until recently." Stephanie knew the reason; and judging by the expressions on the other Diva's faces, they understood too. But they knew Angelle had enough going on that they didn't need to crowd her mind anymore. "Circus" faded into "Candyman" and Lilian went off to dance with Cody Rhodes, while Beth dragged Phil off into the middle of the floor.

"Someone's coming for you," Steph said, motioning with her eyes across the floor. Angelle looked and saw John approaching, making his way through the crowd of people, focused on Angelle as though she were the only one in the club. She felt a blush crawling up her features as he approached. Stephanie took off into the crowd, searching for Hunter, when John approached.

"Hey," he said with a smile. He leaned into her ear and whispered, "I never got to tell you this earlier, but you look great."

"Thanks," she said, a wide smile pulling at her features.

"You good for a dance?"

"With you? Always." He put an arm around her waist and drew her close. So close, she could smell his cologne teasing her senses as she rested her head against his chest. He smiled, staring down at her glossy brown hair. _She's so beautiful, _he thought to himself.

"John, I don't know if I can really thank you for everything you've done for me in the last few weeks...with Elizabeth and everything..."

"Don't think anything of it," John replied. "I was happy to be helpful."

"John, if there's anything I can do to thank you for being so helpful for me, let me know," she said, pulling her head off of his chest to look into his eyes. The shining chocolate orbs seemed to pin him down. He smiled.

"There is something..." he said with a grin.

"What's that?"

"Would you do dinner with me after Raw goes off the air next week?" She was about to say something to him when it dawned on her what he was asking for. Her jaw dropped. Angelle went to speak, but closed her mouth shut, before she finally spoke.

"John Cena, are you asking me on a date?" He contemplated his answer for a few moments.

"Yeah. I guess I am," he said. "If that's okay. No pressure or anything, but would you like to go out for dinner with me?" She smiled.

"I would love that." She rested her head back on his chest and they continued to dance in the club.


	13. The Date

**The Date**

Angelle gazed into the mirror for what seemed like the millionth time in an astonishing span of five minutes. It seemed as though nothing she seemed to pick out was perfect enough for her night out with John. It was after Raw on Monday night, as the night had been uber busy, and she had a small amount of time to get ready before John was completely cleaned up from the night's activities. As Angelle stood, staring in contempt at the black A-line skirt and white blouse, the door to the Divas locker room opened and Maryse walked in with Mickie James and Barbie Blank in tow.

"Angelle? What are you doing here?" Mickie asked, unable to keep the surprise out of her voice.

"I need help," Angelle said, sighing. "I have a date with John after the show and no matter what I pick out, I just can't look good." Maryse laughed.

"Somebody is in love," she teased. Angelle shot her a look and Maryse put the Divas Championship down on a steel folding chair. "Take a deep breath. We've got your back."

"Thanks, Maryse." _Backlash _was six days away with a six man tag team to determine the WWE Championship situation. Shane was also competing, with plans coming to write him off of television pretty quickly. Angelle couldn't help but wonder if that meant Shane wasn't going to be traveling on the road anymore and she hoped that wasn't the case. While she understood that Shane was a married father of two who had his own corporate things to take care of, selfishly, she hated the possibility of not seeing him on the road. She saw Shane and Stephanie like the siblings she always wanted, but never got, and they seemed to treat her the same way.

"So, John asked you out," Mickie exclaimed with glee. "When?"

"When we went out to the club with everyone last week. Oh, my God, it was so romantic," Angelle gushed. "We were dancing together and then he asked."

"That does sound romantic," Barbie agreed with a squeal and a clap of her hands. "Okay...so here's how it's going to work...Maryse, you pick out her clothing. I'll take the makeup and Mickie, you can take the hair."

"Sounds like a plan," Mickie agreed. "We'll get you set up. How long do you have?"

"Forty-five minutes. John said he needed to take a shower and clean himself up."

"We don't have much time either," Barbie said. "Let's get cracking."

"You're more Mickie's size, aren't you?" Maryse asked. Angelle nodded. "I tell you what; Mickie, why don't I do her hair and you pick out what she wears?"

"That sounds fine," Mickie replied, going to her bag and opening it up as Kelly gathered her makeup and Maryse plugged in a curling iron.

"You seem nervous," Barbie observed.

"Does it show much?" Angelle inquired.

"It really does show," Maryse replied. "Why so nervous? Haven't you ever been on a date before? You hang out with John enough anyways..."

"I haven't been on a date in a lot of years," Angelle replied, her index finger slipping through the ring on her neck.

"Why not, if you don't mind us asking?" Barbie inquired.

"Just had a lot of personal stuff to work through," she said. "You know how it is." The girls nodded and Mickie picked out a red and black strapless minidress that shimmered. Angelle's eyes widened. "That's a beautiful dress."

"I know, isn't it?" Mickie asked. "I brought it for a Diva photo shoot, but we went with something else. You can try this on when Maryse and Barbie quit torturing you." The girls giggled at Mickie's statement. "The dress isn't really my style, anyway, so if it fits you fine, you can keep it."

"Thanks, Mickie," Angelle replied. "I can pay you for it if you'd like..."

"Don't worry about it," Mickie replied.

"Well, I could do something if you need..."

"Just knock Cena dead tonight," she said. "That's all I ask. He is so into you it's not even funny."

"Do you guys really think so?" she asked. Maryse nodded.

"You should have seen him the day you left to deal with your sister," she replied. "He was practically on the first plane out to see you as soon as everything was done. He called his brother to let him know you were coming."

"I know that," Angelle replied, a blush creeping against her cheeks. "Dan told me John had called."

"I don't know what it is about you," Barbie replied with a grin, "but you've got The Champ wrapped around your little finger." Angelle was weirded out by the thought. She knew how it felt to be wrapped around somebody else's finger, but she never thought that somebody could ever be that devoted to her for anything. Not to mention, she had been battling a supreme feeling of guilt for the last week over the idea of dating him.

"I doubt that," Angelle replied softly as Maryse set about curling her hair. Mickie was looking through Angelle's bag for a pair of high heels.

"You and I really need to go clothes shopping," Mickie replied with a groan. "Some of this stuff is hideous."

"To be fair, I am on the corporate side of things, Mickie. I don't need to wear spandex and glitter like you guys." The girls laughed.

"I wouldn't mind seeing that," Maryse replied. "I don't think a little bit of glitter will hurt you at all." Angelle shook her head.

"I guess it depends on the occasion, but glitter isn't really my thing."

"So did you ever find out what was up between John and Phil?" Barbie asked.

"How did you hear about that?" Angelle inquired.

"Beth." The three Divas spoke in unison. Angelle sighed.

"When did my life get so fascinating?" she inquired as Barbie began to apply a soft gloss to her lips.

"When John Cena really started paying attention to you," Mickie replied, fumbling through Maryse's jewelry. Angelle stared in the mirror at the way Maryse had fixed her hair. It fell in stylish, feathered waves around her face. She smiled at her reflection. "It looks amazing, Maryse. Thank you so much."

"No problem," she replied with a grin. Barbie was just finishing up on her eyes when there was a knock on the door. The three Divas looked towards the door in concern.

"Who is it?" Mickie called. The voice on the other side of the door was unmistakeably familiar.

"Um, Mickie? It's John. Is Ange in there by any chance?"

"Yeah. One minute." Mickie rammed the clothing and accessories into Angelle's hands and told her to go into the shower stall and get changed. Angelle nodded and disappeared while Maryse and Barbie clamored to answer the door. John walked in, holding a bouquet of daffodils, dressed in a tight white shirt with a red plaid overshirt and blue jeans. He looked uncomfortable standing in the Divas locker room.

"Angelle will be a couple minutes," Maryse informed him. "She's just getting dressed." He nodded and she motioned for him to have a seat on the couch with Mickie.

"You look good, John," Barbie replied, sitting down where Angelle had sat at the makeup table. She couldn't believe Angelle's luck in catching the eye of John Cena.

"Thanks." He sighed, staring at the watch on his wrist. "She didn't have to get dressed up."

"You'll love how she looks," Maryse assured him. "We kinda gave her a hand."

"I can't wait to see that," he confessed. He didn't think it was possible, but he felt like he was in high school all over again. His nerves were screaming with anticipation and fear, like he wouldn't know how to act with her when she was around him. John was trying to convince himself that it wasn't that much different tonight; that they'd been hanging out for a while now, with him spending the night at her place just once a week. But there was something about this night that made things so much more different to him, and it excited him.

"Are you ready yet, Ange?" Mickie called.

"Um, Mickie, can you come back here and give me a hand with this?" her voice inquired from the other side of the shower area. Mickie nodded and stood up from the couch, making her way into the shower area. The girls crowded around John and sat down.

"So, where are you taking her tonight?" Maryse inquired. John shrugged.

"Just a place I know," he replied. He didn't want to divulge too much information; after all, the last thing he wanted was for everybody to invade his date. And with the Divas, he knew that was a very real possibility.

**

"Mickie, I don't know if I can do this," she whispered. "I feel so nervous."

"That's natural," Mickie whispered back, helping Angelle lace up the back of her dress. "If it's any consolation, he must be feeling uber nervous at the moment, too. He looks good tonight, by the way." She nodded, not really paying attention to what Mickie was telling her, running her finger along the chain of her necklace. She felt guilty about this, but she knew it was a step she had to take. Anyways, if he was nervous, then it would make for a level playing field. Angelle tried to remember that they were friends first and that's all that mattered, irregardless of what happened after the date. Mickie fastened the dress and stood back as she examined Angelle's appearance. Mickie sucked in a breath. "You look great," she whispered.

"How does John look? Am I over dressed?" she asked nervously. Mickie shook her head.

"John looks great, and I think he's going to think you look amazing, too." Angelle nodded.

"I guess it's time to go out there."

**

"Here she is," Mickie announced, emerging out of the shower area. John stood to his feet, flowers in hand as Angelle emerged into his view. His breath caught and a wildfire blush spread across her face at the absolutely spellbound expression crossing his features. The girls all clamored onto the couch and watched with piqued fascination as he handed her the flowers.

"I, uh, brought these for you," he told her. She grinned, inhaling the flowers.

"Thank you; they're beautiful." Maryse jumped to her feet to keep Angelle from thinking.

"We'll put these in water for you. You can pick them up when you get back from your date." Angelle offered a soft thank you and handed them off to Maryse. John flashed her a warm smile and she returned the gaze.

"Ready to go?"

"Yeah," she answered. He extended his arm to her and she wrapped an arm around his.

**

John and Angelle sat in the seemingly empty restaurant, engaging in awkward conversation. Staring out the window at his car, he contemplated just what he could say to her. But the words weren't coming out of his mouth. He couldn't figure out why things had to be so different tonight. Angelle looked distant; he wasn't sure if she was uncomfortable or bored. He hoped it wasn't the latter. She had barely spoke a few words.

"Why is this more awkward than any other time we've hung out?" he asked to nobody in particular. Angelle gazed up at him, a soft smile tugging at her features as she poked at her tortellini.

"I don't know," she confessed. "It sure does feel different, though, doesn't it?"

"Yeah." He shoved a forkful of mashed potatoes into his mouth. "Did I mention that you look gorgeous tonight? That dress really flatters you."

"Five times already," she answered with a slight giggle. "If it's any consolation, you clean up really nicely yourself. So much for the once a year thing." He laughed.

"You know, you didn't need to get so dressed up," he told her. She shrugged.

"The Divas decided I needed this more than anything," she admitted sheepishly. "You didn't need to dress up so nicely yourself, you know." John laughed.

"If you call a flannel overshirt dressing nice," he said with a laugh. "Are you busy after this?" he asked.

"Not that I'm aware of. Why? Am I?" she inquired.

"Well, I know that you only agreed to go out for dinner with me, but I was wondering if you wanted to go and do something after this?"

"Sure. What did you have in mind?"

"Well, there's a really nice beach just down the road. I thought maybe you'd like to go check it out with me." She smiled.

"I think that sounds like a great idea." She took a sip of her drink. "Are you ready for the Last Man Standing match this weekend?" He nodded.

"We've got the finish worked out. We're supposed to go over it on Sunday before the pay-per-view starts. It seems like a straight forward stunt, so I highly doubt that I'm really going to need to do any sort of rehearsal." She nodded.

"It still might be better if you did."

"And if I get hurt, then how does that translate to the match?" he asked.

"You got hurt at a house show."

"Smartass."

"You asked."

"Yeah, I did," he conceded, taking a sip of his drink. The place was practically empty, and the waiters and waitresses were stealing glances at them, murmuring amongst each other that Cena looked familiar and the two of them looked cute together.

"So, if you don't mind me asking, what's up with you and Phil?" she asked. "The Divas have been asking me about it."

"What do you mean?"

"Come on, John. Last week – you two could have practically murdered each other with the glares that you guys were exchanging. I'm oblivious, but I'm not completely oblivious." John sighed and sat back in his chair. He had no idea how to broach this with her.

"I don't know what's up with Phil," he answered. "Maybe last week was just an odd night off for him. He seemed kind of irritated in the back."

"So you two are still friends?" she asked.

"Well, we've always been more acquaintances," John explained. "But I have nothing against him. Whether or not he has something against me is another story." She nodded, but she had a sinking suspicion that there was a bit more to the story than what John was telling her. Angelle wasn't particularly sure what she was missing, but she knew better than to spend this time with him speculating on what Phil's issues were. But it was definitely something that was dancing around in her mind.

**

"You lived in California, too?" she asked. He nodded. The two of them were walking along the darkened beach, hand-in-hand, staring out on the black water that had the moon casted its illuminating glow over.

"For a short time," he admitted. "This is kind of where I started my training. After college, I decided that it was just go for the gusto time." She smiled. "And where did you grow up?"

"Crescent City."

"Where's that?"

"Northern California," she replied. "Probably the only place in California that gets really cloudy and rainy." She smiled. "So why did you move back to Massachusetts?"

"It was hard being away from the fam," he confessed. "How about you? What made you go to Massachusetts? Out of all the possible places you could have gone."

"Truthfully...I've always wanted to visit the New England area. My grandmother was from here initially; she moved to California when she married my grandfather."

"Where were they from?"

"Rhode Island."

"So what made you pick this area?"

"Boston University had everything I was looking for," she replied. "It wasn't that hard of a decision."

"Look, Ange, I'm not asking you to tell me everything, but could you at least level with me here? I mean, we've been hanging out for awhile now, and you know I'm not going to judge you. What really made you pack up and leave California? Elizabeth seems to think it was your ex."

She sighed. "I guess a lot of it had to do with my ex. I guess after everything happened, I just decided to pick up and find a new place. Just get away from everything. There was just way too much going on there to function properly."

"What happened?" he asked. He was pretty sure if she had a box of his things from his parents, that he wasn't alive anymore, but he wasn't about to come right out and say it. She sighed.

"Can we not talk about it right now?" she asked. "I don't want to ruin a good night." He sighed; she was definitely clamming up on him. But she was right; it was a depressing subject obviously, and the night had gone really well so far. She was amazed at how well things had gone despite the fact they both seemed so uncomfortable with each other on this night. They continued to walk down the beach, talking about the upcoming pay-per-view.

**

"Wow...um, thanks for everything tonight," she said with a smile crossing her features. They were standing in front of her hotel room, in front of the door. John was fidgeting, clearly uncomfortable, while she was biting her lower lip in discomfort.

"Um, thanks for coming out," he replied with a smile tugging at his features. "I don't know if you had fun or whatever, but do you think you'd want to do this again with me sometime?"

"Another date? You seriously want to be stuck with me like that?" she asked. He smiled.

"Yeah, I guess I would," he laughed. She stared at the keycard in her hand.

"Um, did you want to come in for a drink, or a movie, or something?" she offered. At the moment, she wondered if he thought she was easy over it. But if he did, it wasn't showing on his expression. He shook his head.

"Thanks for the offer, Ange, but I've gotta get back to the hotel. I'm appearing on SmackDown tomorrow, so I need to get my stuff packed up for the early flight." She nodded. She was taking the later flight out, but it wasn't horrendously late. She just had to meet up with Stephanie tomorrow morning and go over a few creative plans with her regarding the upcoming Judgment Day pay-per-view. She found in this business it was never about looking back, but always moving forward while honoring the past. Her hand went to the ring around her neck, turning it in her fingertips as John watched her, intrigued, lost in thought. "Um...I should go. I'll talk to you tomorrow." He was dying to ask her if he could kiss her, but he didn't want to feel like he was rushing her. She nodded, and leaned over, kissing him on the cheek.

"Goodnight, John."

"Goodnight, Ange." She disappeared into her hotel room and he made his way back towards his car, trying to keep the excitement off of his face. Whatever was going on, the date was real progress.


	14. Backlash

**Backlash**

"_Back and forth you wonder, through your mind...winter's passing over...but I don't mind..."_

The pyrotechnics burst in spurts of twenty up the ramp and to the main stage before exploding in a rainbow of fireworks an additional five times while The Veer Union's "Seasons" resonated from the speakers. Tonight was _Backlash,_ emanating live from the Dunkin' Donuts Arena in Providence, Rhode Island, with Adam and John colliding for the World Heavyweight Championship and with Triple H, Shane McMahon, and a returning Dave Batista taking on Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase. Whomever got the pinfall won the championship for the captains of their respective teams, whether it be Hunter or Randy. It was shaping up to be a great day, with the sun semi-shining outside while it faded into the horizon, and the fans incredibly rabid inside the arena, waiting for the action to begin. Angelle was excited, in a great mood still after her date with John, which she had thought had gone really well. She couldn't believe that he wanted to see her again. It made her feel giddy, something she hadn't known for years. He had called her during the week at her home, determined to do this entire thing right with her, and they had agreed to go on a date when they got home from the week's tapings post-_Backlash. _

Angelle stood in the back area, headset on, ready to go, while the McMahons and Brisco were setting up the microphone sets to feed the commentator's their lines. Vince had noticed a change in her demeanor since the date last week, and he were sure if the rumors about he and Cena were true, then it stood to reason he was the reason for her high moods.

"How's life, Angelle?" Vince inquired. She grinned. It wasn't lost on Stephanie that her mood had been brighter in the last few days; word around the locker room was that she seemed to be dating John Cena...or at least had gone out with him. There was definitely a few stories going around backstage about just how close the two of them really were. But nobody really wanted to come right out and ask Angelle about it because no one wanted to seem nosy.

"Better than ever, it seems like," she answered. "We ready to do this?"

"We're ready," Stephanie replied. "Are you ready?"

"I'm so ready it's not even funny," she replied. She readjusted her headset. "Can you hear me?"

"Loud and clear, Ange. What do you need?"

"I need Reso and Swagger. ECW Championship is kicking off the show."

**

The guys were all in their locker room, getting ready for the night. The atmosphere was electric for the _WrestleMania-_fallout pay-per-view. John Cena stood with his back to everybody in the room, pretty much already dressed in his ring gear, putting on his armbands while he chatted with Adam and Paul, who was going to be the wild card at the end of the match. They had already gone over the final stunt in the match, with John somehow managing to convince Vince that a rehearsal of the stunt was only going to make things worse for the match itself leading up to it. All in all, however, John was prepared to lose his championship to Adam so _SmackDown _could have a championship of their own since they were both on _Raw_. With Paul being the wild card, this was supposed to mark the beginning of a long feud between the two Superstars, but creative had also pitched an idea to Cena to work with Mike Mizanin, who they were priming to become a top heel within the next couple years. Being a huge fan of the _Dirt Sheet, _and more than happy to work with a new Superstar, John had said yes, and Mike was already busy trying to come up with things to make the feud work. John was curious about how they were going to pull it all off, if he was going to seemingly work two programs simultaneously, but he was good to just go with the flow.

John was remaining surprisingly tight-lipped about his date with Angelle, not divulging too many details over the last six days. Angelle was even being surprisingly tight-lipped, which shocked the Divas, and aggravated them as they were screaming for details, asking about things such as his kissing skills and where they went. While John worked at lacing up his sneakers, Adam nudged Paul, motioning for him to look at the champion, who was seemingly in his own world, getting ready.

"So how was the date last week?" Adam inquired. Paul stood behind Adam, arms crossed over his enormous chest. John contemplated his answer as a wide grin spread across his features.

"Amazing," John replied. "At least I thought it was. I really couldn't gauge her reaction to it all that well." Paul chuckled. "I think she felt kind of awkward. But it was good."

"So are you going to see her again outside of the ring?" Paul inquired. John nodded.

"We're going out again after the tapings," he confessed. "When we're both at home and don't have to worry about catching an early flight the next morning."

"That should be nice," Adam replied. "She seems like a nice girl."

"She's the greatest," John told them. "Sweet, thoughtful, smart, beautiful." He smiled.

"You've got it so bad," Adam teased. Paul grinned.

"It's kind of cute, Adam; give him a break," he said. His expression darkened. "What about Phil?"

John shrugged. "What about him? Ange and I aren't exclusive or anything. He could ask her out any time that he wanted. Whether she says yes or no is a completely different story, though."

"Would she date him though?" Adam inquired. "I mean, do you think she would?"

"If she has the same logic in her head as I do, I'm sure she would if she felt up to it. If she wanted something serious with me, she probably wouldn't," John said. He shrugged. "I'm not putting pressure on her over this." Adam and Paul scoffed and John looked up, shooting them an incredulous glare.

"The aggressive dater is putting no pressure on her?" Paul laughed. John flashed him the middle finger. "What makes this woman so special?"

"She just is, okay?" John said with a roll of his eyes. Sometimes he hated Adam and Paul. He slid his baseball cap on on over his head. "I don't think I have to ask you about how you treated Bess, Paul."

"That's different. Bess was The One," Paul said with a smirk. John flashed him the middle finger, seeing that it was the only real comeback he had, and shook his head.

"So, what, are you insinuating, Paul, that Angelle is The One for John Cena?" Adam asked, a heavy tone of cynicism in his voice.

"You guys are so fucking weak," John murmured, fighting the smile that threatened to cross his features. He turned his back to the men again and began jumping around a bit to get the cardio worked up. As much as this situation with the guys teasing him drove him crazy, he reveled in having the guys around to have these moments with. John opted to change the subject. "Paul, your ass had better take it easy on me with that searchlight tonight."

"I'll be as easy as I can with you," he said. John stopped, eyebrow coked as the guys burst into a fit of laughter while Paul tried to figure out what he had said. "I didn't think that one out too well, did I?"

"Not at all," John laughed. He shook his head. "Anyways, guys, I'm gonna get a coffee before the match, and I need to go and talk to Rey-Rey. I'll meet up with you before the match." The guys nodded and John left the locker room, shaking his head at his two friends.

**

"Jacobs and Phil. CM Punk vs. Kane is on deck."

The curtain swung open and Kane stalked through, staring down at Angelle with a grin on his face. She grinned back at him. Angelle hadn't really spoken to him very much, but he was a smart guy with a political insight that was as sharp as Bradshaw's, some people said. He liked that Angelle would listen and ask questions with what she didn't understand. He never made her feel stupid, he would just explain things to her as politely as he could. She appreciated that and he appreciated the fact that she could, or at least attempt to, keep up on conversation with him.

The curtain opened again and Phil burst through, a wide grin on his face. "Hey, sweetness, you look great!" he whispered, a grin tugging at his features. Angelle found it odd he was referring to her with affectionate nicknames.

"Thanks," she whispered back. "Knock them dead out there, you guys."

"We will," Phil promised her. She smiled and he grinned back at her.

"Cue Kane's music." The organ music began to reverberate through the arena as the lights beyond the curtain went to red. Kane stalked out through the curtain and Phil took his place beside Angelle.

"What are you up to after the show tonight?" he asked. She shrugged.

"Not too much. I have to be up early to deal with _Raw _stuff tomorrow, so I doubt I'm painting the town red with Shane O'Mac." Phil nodded. "Cue 'This Fire Burns'." The guitar began to solo loudly as CM Punk raced through the curtains and out to the adoring public. She smiled; Phil was always such a good friend of hers, and she enjoyed hanging out with him. Between him, John, Shane and Stephanie, they really truly made her feel at home.

**

Phil decided to hang out in the Gorilla with Angelle and watch her do her job. It didn't make her feel uncomfortable or anything, as it provided her with a bit of company while she started calling the next few Superstars for their matches. She didn't speak much, though, since she was busy calling cues. It was already the six man tag team match for the WWE Championship and the men were already out in the ring. Prior to the match, Matt Hardy had to be rushed to the hospital, as Jeff had done a leapfrog stunt to Matt over a ladder onto a table. Matt was taped to the table, which had resulted in Jeff injuring his brother's hand on the landing. Preliminary reports said that Matt's hand was broken, but nobody would know until the X-ray results came back from the hospital. Angelle was praying for the best, but she knew that sometimes, no matter how safe things were, or in the heat of the moment, anything could go wrong. It was just the price the people paid to be in the business.

"You think Matt's okay?" Phil whispered. Angelle shrugged.

"I don't know – we're waiting for the X-Ray results," she said. "We won't know how bad things are until we get them." Phil nodded. Matt and Jeff were good friends of his, and he found himself enjoying their feud on TV. Their matches, with the two brothers being such in-ring innovators, were producing matches that the fans were going crazy for. All the buildup and the matches were wearing Jeff out, though, and with his contract expiring in July, nobody seemed to be sure that Jeff was going to resign. He was being cryptic about it, like Matt normally was, and it drove Phil crazy.

"Do you know if Jeff's going to resign?" he whispered to Angelle, looking over at Stephanie and Vince, who were staring at Phil with curiosity. Angelle shrugged.

"Don't know. That's not really my department. Stephanie and Laurenaitis will let me know what's going on when they need me to know." He nodded. For some reason, he thought she was trying to blow him off, even though he was aware that she was working at the moment.

"So, what's up with you and Cena?"

"You realize I'm talking into headsets, right?" She held up a hand. "Two seconds. Cue 'Voices'." Randy Orton's theme blared through the arena and she could hear the raucous jeers at the WWE's resident viper winning the WWE Championship. The boos were almost rumbling, deafening. Angelle could hardly believe the reaction. She turned back to Phil. "Cena and I are friends," Angelle replied, covering her mouthpiece and shaking her head. She was still pretty sure that it was too preliminary to call him her boyfriend, and truthfully, she wasn't comfortable coming right out and saying she was with somebody again. Phil nodded, not really knowing what more to say. Minutes later, Legacy was first backstage, Randy Orton holding the championship over his shoulder with a confidence that was reserved for multiple time champions. He flashed Angelle a smile and Phil a cocky smirk before disappearing through the curtains with a sullen Ted and a somber Cody in tow. Minutes later, Triple H came through on a stretcher, accompanied by EMTs, while Shane McMahon and Dave Batista followed in tow, keeping concerned expressions on their face until the curtain closed behind them. Shane looked absolutely exhausted, drenched in sweat, trying to catch his breath from a hellacious match. The finish had come when Randy Orton had hit the patented RKO on Triple H. But the punishment hadn't ended there. Post-match, Randy had punted Triple H clean in the skull, knocking him out and forcing the EMTs to come out and apprehend him. Of course, Hunter wasn't really out cold; he had played comatose very well. But Randy had been a bit stiff with his kick and as a result Hunter found himself suffering a bit of a headache. They all waited until Hunter was backstage before Phil went off to join the rest of the guys.

"I need Edge and John Cena in the Gorilla," she announced. Moments later, Adam and John made their way through, smiles on their faces.

"Break a leg out there," she offered. Adam smirked.

"I'll break his," he promised. She shook her head, a smile tugging at her features while John rolled his eyes and readjusted his title.

"I'd say I'll kick your ass, but you're kicking mine tonight," John retorted.

"Cue 'Metalingus'." Adam's entrance music blared through the arena and Adam gave John a slap on the back before making his way out to a reaction that rivaled that of Randy Orton's and his faction. John took his place behind Angelle.

"You okay?" he whispered. "You seem a bit off tonight."

She nodded. "I'm fine," she replied. "I just had to spend the day in a ratings debate with Bonnie Hammer from the USA Network because Steph and Vince had to do a creative meeting at the same time." John sucked in a breath. "She's been making the rounds today, talking to Laurenaitis and Shane-O."

"I thought that only happens before _Raw."_

"Well, it appears she's made herself a special guest tonight."

"So what's going on?" he asked, his brows furrowing in contemplation.

"Nothing...she just wanted to give us a list of suggestions for things to use to make the product more interesting." John scoffed.

"What did you say to that?"

"I told her we'd take it under advisement, but that we were still pretty much the top rated program on the network, so she probably shouldn't hold her breath." John's eyes widened.

"You didn't."

"Cue Cena's music." He shot her a look and she smirked at him before he disappeared through the curtain. She couldn't keep the grin off her face whenever he was in her presence; his smiles were just so infectious and he was just so much fun. Vince caught onto their exchange, as did Stephanie, who thought it was kind of cute. Angelle leaned against a trunk in the room and shook her head. Sure, things were going great, but why did everything feel so complicated?

**

"Come on...Shane said he'd pick up your car tomorrow," she said, opening the passenger door. Taking John's arm gingerly, she helped him out of the car. _Backlash _had long since ended, with John going through the searchlight at the end of the night, thanks to Paul's enormous Chokeslam off the stage. The stunt had gone over really well, and the fans had been stunned when John had been unable to stand by the ten count afterwards and had to leave via a stretcher...but John was still pretty sore from the plunge. So sore, in fact, he had to be checked out by Dr. Rios before leaving to be sure that he wasn't injured, that nothing had been fractured or broken. When Dr. Rios was satisfied, he told Angelle to take him back to the hotel, while Shane had volunteered to come and get his car the following morning. John's body ached from head to toe from the shattering protective coat over the light, and it had scratched him up something fierce. He was in enough pain that it was difficult to get dressed. He had more or less slid on an old button-down jersey on and made his way out.

"You know...I'm sure I probably could have driven back to the hotel," he said. "I'm not some sort of invalid or something." Truthfully, though he would never admit it, he loved the attention she was lavishing on him at the moment. It was a nice feeling to have somebody take care of him, and he knew if the shoe was on the other foot, he'd be taking care of Angelle. He loved the way her face burrowed in concern when she wasn't sure if he was hurt or not, but he was always quick to assure her that this was no worse than some of his other injuries..

"I heard your dad's coming out for Raw tomorrow." John's head perked up as he stepped out of the car. Angelle was smiling softly at him.

"How did you hear that?"

"Well, Steph had me book the ticket," she replied with a smile. He laughed.

"Touche," he said. "So, did you want to meet my dad?"

"I didn't realize we were there yet," she replied. John began to stutter and stammer.

"I just meant...you know...they've...well, they've heard about you..."

"You talk about me that much, John?" she asked with a grin as she held the hotel door open for him. John blushed as she led him towards the elevator.

"Would you like to meet my dad?" he rephrased as the elevator door closed on the two of them. She flashed him a knockout smile.

"Sure, John. It would probably be nice if you talk about me so much." He flashed her a look and she returned it with her smile. "Do you have any asprin or Tylenol in your room?" He shook his head. "Well, I guess I'll figure something out to make you feel better," she said. A grin crossed his face. "John! And it's not what you're thinking," she exclaimed, her mouth agape in surprise. His expression fell and she gave him a soft slap in the arm, to which he flinched.

"Ow!"

"That didn't hurt."

"Yeah it did. I did go through a searchlight tonight, you know," he informed her. She rolled her eyes and led him into the hallway when the elevator doors slid open. He limped into the hallway, fumbling inside his pocket for his keycard. "I think room service is closed at this hour," he groaned. She rolled her eyes.

"Somehow, with your size, I think you might survive. If it were Michelle, on the other hand..."

"Ouch." She opened his hotel room and led him inside, leading him to the bed to sit down. He cocked an eyebrow.

"Quit being a perv, John," she replied with a roll of her eyes. She motioned for him to sit down on the bed before she took her place behind him.

"What are you -?" he started, trailing off when she slid his unbuttoned jersey down around his shoulders and down his enormous arms. When she removed the jersey and rested it on the nightstand, he began to turn around. "I guess it's your turn..." A slap in the back of his head silenced him. Before he could protest, he felt her little hands on his shoulders before they began to rub. His eyes closed and his head leaned back as a low moan escaped from his throat. Her hands continued to work. "Man, that feels great," he groaned. She smiled.

"Really? I've never done this before," she said, making sure to keep her fingers busy, since it seemed to be making him feel better.

"I would have never known it," he replied. "I should go through lights often."

"Don't make a career out of it," she drawled dryly. They fell into silence as she continued to massage his neck. John could sense something different with her. A change in her demeanor.

"Ange...what are you thinking?" he asked softly. She sighed.

"I don't know," she said.

"I think you do know," he said. "You can tell me, you know that." He sucked in a breath as she hit a sore spot. At the moment, though, her hands on his skin felt so good that he contemplated whether or not he died in the stunt and went to Heaven.

"I know," she replied. His head rested back against her shoulder as she continued to work. "I'm just thinking about _Raw _tomorrow. It's been a long couple weeks."

"I know," he told her. "But you sure shouldered it like a soldier." She smiled.

"I know. I think if I shoulder some more stress for the next six months, I might book some time off and go take a vacation overseas."

"Where are you thinking?"

"France or Italy. I've heard they're just beautiful."

"Have you ever been out of the country like that?" he asked. She shook her head.

"No. Since Shane is the one who does all the overseas stuff. I've never had the opportunity to take vacations like that before either." She moved her fingers to the back of his neck and began to massage, eliciting another guttural moan from the former champion. Angelle swallowed a sigh; this felt so right, so why did she feel like things were wrong?


	15. Meeting Johnny Fabulous

**Meeting Johnny Fabulous**

Dressed in a pair of black slacks and a scarlet button-down shirt with the first two buttons undone, Angelle arrived at the arena the following night to find Mizanin talking about things with Cena, who was still walking with a bit of a pronounced limp stemming from last night's stunt. The Paul/John feud was in full swing as of tonight, where John would cost Paul an important match that would result in him taking Paul out of championship contention. John spotted her and motioned for her to come over. With a smile crossing her features, she approached the two men. "Hey, Ange," John replied, giving her a hug. She hugged him back.

"How are you feeling?" she inquired.

"I've had worse, so I can't really complain," he told her.

"Hello, Angelle," Mike said, "You look great tonight." He gave her a hug.

"Thanks, Miz," she replied with a smile. "You all excited to be working with the former champ here?"

"You know it," he said with a wide grin. "This could be a huge break. Bigger than the _Dirt Sheet_." Angelle smiled. The business was about making opportunities, she had learned that fast. And the ones who could really grasp their opportunities wound up making it big. She thought that Miz could make a huge heel on the _Raw _brand in the next couple years, which was something he had been grateful to hear the first time she had said it to him. The Powers That Be were already in the process of making his ex-counterpart John Morrison a face, because he was gaining such a following on _SmackDown_. "I heard you're meeting Mr. Cena tonight," Mike replied. Angelle nodded.

"Yeah. Any advice?" They all laughed.

"Just be yourself. He'll see why everyone loves you back here," Miz told her. Angelle blushed and stuttered out a grateful expression to him while John chuckled.

"Is your dad here yet?" she asked, staring at John. He nodded.

"He's out at ringside already."

"That reminds me..." Angelle looked down at her watch. "I have a creative meeting regarding the future of Phil's character to attend with Stephanie. I'll see you guys."

"We're all heading out after the show," Miz said. "You coming out with us?"

"Sure," she said. "It sounds like a plan." She bid everyone goodbye and began to walk down the hallway to track down Stephanie Levesque.

**

"I think it's time we turn Punk heel," Michael Hayes announced to everybody. It was odd to Angelle that they were having a _SmackDown_ meeting on a Monday, but nobody else seemed to think it. She stared around at the other creative members, gauging their reaction at the prospect of turning her friend heel in the eyes of the fans. It seemed like the other creative members were really contemplating it.

"I think it's a valid idea," Stephanie announced. "After all, the man has been a face for the last three years...I think we could really explore something different with him. Ange, what do you think?"

"I think if you really want to make him a heel, make him do something to Jeff Hardy," Angelle replied. "Jeff is easily the most over guy on the _SmackDown_ brand." Stephanie nodded.

"Great observation, Ange," Vince replied. She blushed. "So maybe we do something with him cashing in Money In The Bank on Hardy."

"Which means that Hardy would have to win it at either _Judgment Day_ or _Extreme Rules,_" Stephanie said. Everyone nodded and began to start tossing ideas around. Angelle told them it would be nice to give Adam a little more time with the title, so he didn't come off as a transitional champion, and while Stephanie didn't particularly agree, she didn't go so far as to belittle Angelle for her input. But everyone agreed it would be in the best interests if Morrison became one of the top faces, while CM Punk became one of the top heels, especially since the product was suffering from a real lack of dominant heels. The men continued to talk while Stephanie leaned over to Angelle.

"I meant to ask you last week," she whispered, "How was your date with Cena?"

"It was fine," she whispered. "We're going out again sometime this week."

"That's nice," Stephanie replied. "He's a cool guy." Angelle nodded and the two girls commenced placing their input into the creative meeting that was sure to mold the landscape of _SmackDown. _

**

"Phil!"

Phil turned around and watched as Angelle approached. "Hey, Ange. What's up?" He looked over her shoulder and around; there was no sight of John Cena anywhere. He assumed he was with Shane and Stephanie, planning out just how the finish for tonight's main event would go. His gaze snapped back to Angelle, who he thought looked great.

"Well, I just got out of a creative meeting with everyone, and Stephanie wanted me to come and talk to you about some of the stuff that we talked about in the meeting."

"With me?" he asked. She nodded. "It's about CM Punk, isn't it?" She nodded and he led her to a trunk in the back. "So what's up, beautiful? What's the game plan?"

She tried to get rid of the wave of discomfort and continued. "Stephanie and Vince thought it would be a great idea if we turned your character heel. What do you think?" He could tell she was nervous about something, but he gathered that it was just over the idea of broaching the subject of him turning heel. Most of the guys were very protective of where their characters stood because of merchandise sales, which were directly tied as an incentive in their contracts. But Phil smiled.

"Ange, tell the McMahons I'm game to turn heel," he said. "So what's the plan?"

"It's going to have something to do with Jeff Hardy, I think," she said. "Maybe something to do with your Money in the Bank briefcase. I'm not quite sure yet. We're still in the preliminary planning stages." He nodded. "Anyways, I have to go get ready to start cueing everyone up tonight. I'll see you around."

"Sure thing," he said. He went to give her a hug, and was surprised to find her tense up underneath his touch. He was about to ask her what was up, or what was being said about him, but Angelle just quickly made her way towards the Gorilla.

**

"Ange!"

It was post-_Raw_, an eventful _Raw_ where it had been determined that Dave Batista would be next in line for Randy's title in Hunter's absence. Shane McMahon had decided to take another round at Randy and next week it was going to be a no disqualification match that was more or less sure to be Shane's last television appearance for awhile. Which was fine for Shane, who enjoyed being in the ring, but enjoyed having a lighter schedule because of his corporate activities. At the moment, Angelle was standing with Miz, Alvin, Maryse, Randy, Mickie and Cody. It was Mickie who had called out to Angelle as she approached at break-neck speed, dressed in a fuschia vinyl bustier covered with a black sweater and blue jeans, her brunette hair back in a ponytail.

"Mickie!" Angelle replied, hugging Mickie. "You ready to have some fun tonight?" She nodded.

"Cena's coming with us, right?" Alvin asked. Angelle nodded.

"I think so," she replied. "But his dad's out here, so I don't know..."

"Johnny Fab is coming out?" Miz exclaimed. "Sweet!"

"What?" Angelle was confused.

"Johnny Fabulous is the wrestling moniker of Cena's dad," Maryse informed her. Angelle's face took on an expression of surprise.

"Cena's dad's a wrestler, too."

"First case of reverse generations," Randy replied, "As John puts it. John's dad became a wrestler after John became a wrestler." Angelle nodded. He looked past the crowd and smiled. "Here they come." They all looked down the hall as John approached, talking with his father. Angelle felt a tight feeling in the pit of her stomach. She knew that she shouldn't really be nervous about anything, but the truth was she had no idea just how much Cena's father knew about her and John. The group could sense her tension and nervousness, but didn't say anything as John and his father approached.

"Mr. Cena! It's great to see you again!" Alvin said with a grin on his features as he shook hands with the former champion's father. Cena's father offered them a greeting while shaking their hands. He turned to Angelle.

"Who's this lovely Diva? I don't believe I've ever seen you on TV," he said, a smile cracking his features while Angelle blushed under his gaze. Cena laughed.

"Dad, this is Angelle. Ange, this is my father, Johnny Fabulous," he said. John extended his hand for Angelle to shake.

"John, the description you gave of this woman doesn't do her justice in the slightest." Angelle and John both shared a simultaneous blush as Mr. Cena kissed Angelle's hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you. My son's told me all about you."

"Likewise," she managed to choke out. John smiled and stared at his son.

"Well, come on, guys. Let's go out and have some fun." They nodded and John walked away with Angelle, leaving Cena to stare on after them in disbelief.

**

Angelle and Cena were on the dance floor, moving back and forth to the Pussycat Dolls' "Bottle Pop". Cena hated this kind of music, but Maryse had managed to talk Cena into going out for a dance with Angelle. Maryse and Mickie were dancing with John, who was enjoying the attention that the Divas were lavishing on him. Johnny Fabulous was a popular guy backstage at WWE, a man who was just as outgoing as his son.

"You all right?" he asked her. She nodded.

"Yeah," she answered, a smile on her face as Snoop Dogg's voice reverberated through the club. "Your dad's a nice guy."

"He tries to be," Cena replied with a grin tugging at his features. She shook her head and rested it against his chest. "What are you thinking about?"

"It's just been a long week," she said. "As per normal. This is like three or four full-time jobs in one and I'm not even a Diva." He smiled.

"I think it's more than that," he said. "I'm not going to ask you to tell me right now in front of all these people, but eventually you know you're going to need to let me in on these things, all right?" She stared up into his blue eyes, which flashed nothing but care and respect and she smiled at him. She nodded and his face broke out into a smile before he was tapped on the shoulder. He turned and saw his father.

"Mind if I cut in here?" he asked as the music changed from the Pussycat Dolls to "Buck in Here" by DJ Felli Fell with Diddy, Akon, Ludacris and Lil' Jon. She grinned as Cena stepped aside and let his father dance with her.

"So how long have you been with WWE?" he asked.

"I got the job just before _WrestleMania,_" she told him. "It's been a great ride." John nodded.

"I've never seen my son this happy," he said. "John tells me that you live just a small distance from us." She nodded.

"I just live in downtown Boston." John smiled.

"Well, then maybe, this Thursday, would you like to come to a barbecue at the house?" he asked. "Every week, before John goes back to work, he gets together with me and his brother and have a barbecue. I'm sure he'd love to have you come out." She wasn't sure what to say. At the moment, Angelle wondered if things were going too fast for her. But she didn't want to offend John's father. She smiled.

"That sounds great," she replied. "I would love to."

"Great. Then it's settled." The two of them continued to dance to the music, talking about WWE life and what they both enjoyed about the Boston area.

**

John Cena, Sr., had called it a fairly early evening, leaving everybody to continue partying until about three in the morning, before the group stalked into the local Denny's. "So what was Johnny Fab talking to you about, Ange?" Cody inquired. Mickie and Maryse were watching Angelle intently; her head seemed to be all over the place tonight.

"Yeah," John piped up, "What did my dad say to you tonight?"

Angelle took a sip of her coffee. "Nothing important," she confessed, "He just invited me out to your brotherly barbecue this week." John cocked an eyebrow.

"And you said...?"

"I told him I would love to; I'm not going to offend your dad, John," she said with a chuckle.

"Are you okay, Ange?" Miz asked. "You seem a little off tonight."

"I'm fine," she assured him. "It's just been a long week, and I guess I haven't caught up on my sleep since all the stuff with Liz."

"Maybe you should have taken more time off," Mickie replied. "Stephanie would have understood."

"I would have gone stir-crazy otherwise," Angelle replied. She looked around the table. "Would you guys quit looking at me like that? I'm fine!" They nodded and went back to sipping their coffee and eating breakfast. John knew something was up; but knew better than to make a scene in the restaurant, in front of their colleagues. But whatever was going on in her head, it was definitely going to threaten things between the two of them. At least in John's defense, he wasn't a quitter. There was no way he was going to give up on Angelle. Not in a million years.


	16. SmackDown

**16. SmackDown**

Angelle was busy at SmackDown, trying to get everything cued right and dealing with things that Shane needed her help with. Shane always tried to avoid asking her for help because Stephanie had her doing so much, but Shane couldn't find anyone else who could help him out, so Angelle had volunteered, much to Shane's gratefulness. She was sittign in the backstage area, going over a few of his invoices, when Adam approached.

"Hey, Ange," he said, leaning over her shoulder. She sat up straighter and looked up at him.

"Hey, Adam. What's up?"

"What are you up to?" he asked, sitting down beside her.

"Just going over a few invoices for Shane," she said. "He really needed some help, and he didn't want to ask me, but I told him I'd take care of it." Adam nodded and picked up a sheet, reading it over. It had to do with an overseas distribution deal. He put it back down on the pile and stared over at her, adjusting the championship over his shoulder.

"How have you been doing?"

"Good," she answered, her eyes never leaving the paper.

"And things with you and Cena?"

"Good," she answered again. Adam was wondering if she was in denial and just oblivious. John was at his wit's end with her. He was trying so hard to be patient, but with her giving him no information, it was driving him insane. John was the kind of person who had to know absolutely everything about a situation. He had called Adam and had asked for advice, but Adam wasn't quite sure what to say; after all, he had been divorced twice and had been part of a management shit-storm when he had been caught with Amy four years before. Cena had been friends with Angelle since the night she started, and now they were dating, but to him it felt like they were still in the friend zone. She was barely affectionate with him, and when he was affectionate with her, she became incredibly uncomfortable with him. If he knew what was up, he would know to go real slow, but she always clammed up and told him everything was good. Adam just wasn't sure what to tell him. As it was, Adam didn't know what to say to her. It seemed after her coming out of her shell so much, she seemed to be regressing back into the way she was when she started. It concerned Adam, and he noticed it'd been happening since Elizabeth's situation.

"You know if you ever need anything, you can give me a ring, right?" he asked. She shrugged, though her eyes never left the paper. Adam didn't really know what more to do or say. He shrugged, readjusted his championship and disappeared down the hall. Phil watched the entire exchange from a distance, his face darkening. Just what in the hell was Cena doing to her? He had watched her become popular, become everybody's friends, and now here she was, blowing everybody off. He couldn't believe it. It just wasn't Angelle.

**

"Here you go, Shane-O," she said, handing him the invoices. "I've got all of this worked out and figured out for you." They were standing in Vince's makeshift office; Vince was off meeting with Stephanie and Michael Hayes and Phil about the heel transformation of WWE's resident straight-edge Superstar. Shane took a seat in Vince's chair and began to rifle through the papers.

"Thanks so much, Ange," he said. "I owe you huge for taking care of this for me."

"Don't worry about it," she said, dismissing his statement with a wave. "It wasn't an issue." Shane cocked an eyebrow.

"Have you been okay, Ange?"

"Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, there's been some whispers back here, and well...truthfully, you've dropped at least a good ten pounds since I met you, and you're so small already. You're okay, right? This job hasn't been too much for you, has it?"

"Everything's fine," Shane," she assured him. He didn't look completely satisifed with her answer, but he was willing to accept it at the moment. He nodded.

"All right." He stood. "I've got to go talk to Dad about these invoices. Thanks so much." She nodded and he left the office. Standing alone, she stared around the room. _Whispers? What are people saying about me?_

**

"She's clamming right up," Adam said with a sigh. Jeff Hardy, John Hennigan, Maria Kanellis, Michelle McCool, Gail Kim and Phil were standing around in the loading area of the arena. Their topic was, of course, Angelle's new change in demeanor. "You should have seen it," Adam continued, "she wouldn't even look at me when I talked to her."

"Well, she could have just been busy doing that stuff for Shane," Gail said. "It doesn't necessarily mean she's in trouble."

"Well, have you seen the weight she's lost?" Maria asked. "That's not exactly healthy."

"You think she's starving herself?" Morrison asked, running a hand through his chocolate hair. Michelle shook her head.

"I doubt that very much," she said. "But I could see her jsut forgetting to eat, what with stress and whatnot."

"I know this is a stressful job, but we all eat healthy," Gail said. Jeff Hardy shook his head.

"I remember Cena saying that there was something in her past she's not talking about," he said. "I wouldn't be surprised if that's causing her weight loss. Maybe she just can't carry it around anymore."

"She's fighting it if that's the case," Adam said. "John's at his wit's end trying to get it out of her." Phil clenched his jaw; he didn't particularly care to hear about John and Angelle in the same sentence.

"Well, maybe the problem is he's trying to get it out of her," Phil said. "Maybe she doesn't want to tell him." Adam contemplated the idea.

"You never know," Adam said. "But Angelle's a private person. I can't imagine that it's easy for her to say anything to anybody." Phil nodded.

"But somebody's got to do something," Phil said. "If she's olosing weight...she always looks exhausted. And I will bet you John trying to force it out of her is only making things worse."

"I don't think it's quite like that," Maria said. Maria was Phil's ex-girlfriend and she knew that he was infatuated with Angelle. It didn't upset her or anything; but John was a good friend of hers and she didn't particularly enjoy Phil's insinuations that John was causing Angelle's downward spiral when she knew that John Cena was probably the best thing to happen to Angelle Harper.

"Do you have a hard-on for Cena or something?" Adam asked. Jeff and Maria nodded. "You know, since Ange's been hanging out with him, you've been a downright dick to Cena."

"I'm with Adam here," Maria agreed. Phil rolled his eyes at her.

"Look, I'm just calling it like I see it," he said. "Let's look at the facts; since Cena's been with her, she's lost a good ten-fifteen pounds, which she really can't afford to lose since she's already so damn small...She's not sleeping, which is obvious because she's always exhausted when she's here, and she's regressed back into being a quiet loner."

"She's trying to regress," Michelle pointed out. "John's not letting her shut us out."

"But none of you guys get it," Phil argued. "She is shutting us out. She's shutting all of us out by not telling us anything about what's bothering her. Look, Adam - she blew you off tonight!" Adam nodded. Jeff wanted to prove Phil wrong, to tell him that the entire blame did not belong on Cena, but on Angelle's personal demons. Speaking from experience, he knew that she wouldn't get any form of help unless she wanted it.

"Look, I'll tell you guys what," Jeff said. "I'll talk to her."

"I'll do it," Phil volunteered. "It's no problem." Jeff held up a hand.

"I think the issue is you guys are pushing her into this situation. I think it's time for an outsider to step in. If you'll excuse me."

**

Angelle had her head in her hands, crying softly. She couldn't help it. Everything was starting to wear on her so badly. There was the possibility of telling John, but she just couldn't bring herself to tell him. She had tried here and there, but it never felt like the right time. Angelle also held the fear that he would ridicule her, that he would blame her for what happened, as so many other people had. There was just too much at stake for her to just let it out.

"Hey...you all right?"

Angelle jumped at the soft voice and wiped her eyes before looking up at Jeff Hardy. "Yeah. I'm fine," she told him, sliding off the trunk. "I've got to get back to work." She went to walk past him, but he grabbed her arm. Not hard or anything, but firm enough to let Angelle know that he meant business.

"What's the matter, Ange?" he asked. "A pretty girl like you shouldn't be crying backstage like this." She shook her head.

"I'm fine," she insisted. "It's just been a long few weeks...with my sister, with all this stuff, and with creative...plus everything with John..."

"Is everything all right between you and Cena?" he asked. She nodded.

"Yeah. It's just kind of my first time dating in a few years. So it's a bit strange for me. Not to mention tonight, Shane said apparently people are whispering about my appearance back here and everything. That's a bit difficult because I thought everyone here were my friends."

"They are," he assured her. "They're just concerned about you. That's what friends do. Believe me. You may not appreciate it now, but you will one of these days, no matter how misguided they are."

"Speaking from experience?"

"Yeah," he said. "More experience than you'll ever know." He flashed her a smile. "Look, my brother Matt flew in tonight and we're going to have a quiet night in tonight with some video games. Why don't you come out and hang with us?"

"Thanks, Jeff," she said. "But I have an early flight home tomorrow and an early morning meeting with Steph about _Judgment Day_." Jeff nodded.

"I heard you guys are going to make CM Punk a heel." She nodded.

"Yeah. It'll probably be this month or next month. That's what Steph and I are meeting about. While I'm off for the week, she wants to draft something up for Vince and Michael."

"Okay then. You heading to the Gorilla?"

"Yeah."

"Mind if I walk with you?"

"It's a free country." He smirked and they began to walk towards the Gorilla together, talking about how popular Jeff appeared to be with the fans. Which was why internally evreyone was hoping Jeff resigned with WWE when the time came.

**

"How did it go?" Phil asked the instant Jeff entered the locker room. He cocked an eyebrow.

"Do you just sneak into locker rooms when you're waiting for an answer with Ange?"

"How did it go?" Phil asked, not giving up. Jeff shrugged.

"Not talking. But she wasn't as cold with me as she was with Adam." Jeff shook his head. "Look, Phil, I don't know if you have some sort of fucked up feeling in your head that you can save her from whatever it is she's dealing with, but let it go, dude. She's confused enough." Phil shook his head. "I mean it, Phil. She's not in the best mental condition at the moment, and frankly, I'm amazed that nobody's giving her time off to sort it out. She's in no shape to be here." Jeff pondered momentarily about whether or not she was more unstable than he was back in his wild days, but he knew that drugs weren't her problem. She was still clear and lucid. Whatever it was, it had to be a lifechanging event. It had to be bad if she was starting to shut everyone out again.

Phil didn't say anything more, he just stalked out of the locker room. Jeff stared after him as the door closed, leaving him alone. "Don't fuck this up, Phil," Jeff murmured. "You're only going to make things worse."

**

"Phil?"

Phil held up his PlayStation 3. "I know you haven't been sleeping well," he said. "I haven't really been either, and Jeff's passed out. Would you mind having a few games with me?"

"If you want to play in here, it's cool," she said. "But I had my meeting with Steph after the show so I switched my flight for six. So I have to be at the airport for three." Phil's shoulders slumped in defeat.

"Are you okay, hon?" he asked. She nodded.

"Yeah. Fine." _I'd be better if you quit calling me sweetie, hon and beautiful, though. _"Just tired. There's been a lot going on. We've been trying to push Candice Michelle into her rehab, but she keeps going out and partying instead. We're getting impatient for Ken's shoulder to heal, since it's been ten months, and the fact he keeps making these veiled 'career-ending injury' comments to the press is driving Vince nuts, who is in turn driving Stephanie nuts, who is in turn, driving me crazy." Phil nodded.

"Have you heard from your sister?"

"She calls once a week," she said dryly. "We're trying this 'better sister' stuff." Phil nodded.

"Well, I'm glad to hear that."

"Look, I don't mean to keep you standing out here," she said. "If you want to come in, come on in. I'm just going to be busy, that's all."

"That's okay. I'll go hit up Alvin. Just take it easy and relax." He looked at her gaunt appearance. "I'm worried about you."

"You and half the Western Hemisphere," she murmrued before bidding him goodnight and closing the door. Phil couldn't believe how cold she was being towards him. But he shook it off and went towards the elevator to play some video games with MVP.


	17. Another Date

**Another Date**

When John picked up Angelle for their second date night, it occured to him that she had been losing a lot of weight lately. She was dressed in a red dress that seemed to hang off of her in a way that was unflattering. It didn't help she was already a hundred and ten pounds; now she looked just to be teetering on a hundred pounds and it kind of worried him as she made her way towards his car, her face looking weathered and weary. Adam had called him and told him about the discussion he had with Jeff, Phil and the Divas backstage about Angelle, and, well, frankly, the entire situation pissed him off. The fact that Phil could insinuate that he was behind what was happening to Angelle made him physically nauseous. If anything, he was trying to show patience and make her feel better about whatever was plaguing her. And as she climbed into the passenger's side and he saw her thinner figure and the bags under her beautiful brown eyes, he felt like a failure. Sure, she was wearing makeup, but there was no amount of makeup that was going to hide the fact that it looked as though she hadn't slept in a month. And there was nothing he could do to help her, it seemed; he felt as though she were just out of his reach.

"Hey." He decided at that moment that it was probably best just not to say anything to her about her weight loss, or about her exhausted appearance. She was probably hearing enough about it from the McMahons anyways. He began to back out of her driveway.

"Hey," she replied, staring in the mirror. She inwardly groaned at her reflection. Angelle hated to admit it, but she was starting to dislike what she saw in the mirror every morning. But she just couldn't seem to make herself care about her health. She was starting to feel suffocated by the friends she had in WWE; back when she was a loner, she had never had to worry about friends getting too close because all of her friends had been Mike's friends, and they had all scattered to the four winds when she had left Crescent City.

She stared out the window. "Where are we going?" she asked.

"Just this little Italian place downtown that I know," he told her. "They make the best pasta." She nodded. The truth was, she wasn't that hungry, but with the whispers about her weight going around, she knew she was going to at least try and eat something to keep John satisfied. As it was, she was becoming frustrated with the entire locker room questioning her about her health. As if it were really any of their business.

**

"So how was _SmackDown_ last night?" he inquired, twirling some spaghetti onto his fork. Angelle was kind of just poking at her lasagna. It was killing him not saying anything to her about her present situation, but Adam had told him - practically begged him to understand - that the best thing to do for now was to just kind of let it slide until they had a definitive plan of action. _Like an intervention or something_, John thought sarcastically.

"It was fine," she replied. "Steph and I had a meeting this morning regarding plans for CM Punk's heel turn."

"Oh yeah? What's going on with that?"

"Well, we're going to pretty much lay the groundwork at _Extreme Rules_ when he steals the title off of Jeff by cashing in his Money in the Bank. We decided to let Adam retain at _Judgment Day_ before meeting Jeff in some kind of an epic match. Steph and Michael are going to sort that out before the next pay-per-view.

"Anyways, Steph said simple psychology says that if he cashes it in on a face, then it's going to turn him heel in the eyes of the fans."

"Well, yeah," John said, "Especially because Jeff is so over on _SmackDown_ that it's not even funny."

"From there we're just going to turn him."

"Who's the babyface that's going to take his place?"

"We're going to push Hennigan as a top face on the brand."

"I'm sure he'll love that," John said. "Guy's a hard worker."

"Yeah, he is," Angelle agreed, taking a small bite of lasagna. "_SmackDown_'s really shaped into a great brand." John nodded.

"_Raw_'s still dominant, though," he replied with a smirk. "So you ready for the barbecue tomorrow? Dad's so excited." She looked down and nodded. John's face darkened; what was going on with her? "Are you okay to go? If you don't want to go, it's okay."

"No, no, no," she insisted. "It's fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Should I bring anything?"

"Just yourself, unless you want to bring something," he said. "Normally we cover everything but desert."

"I'll make something for that then," she replied. John supposed that because she wasn't normally in dresses that he didn't notice the weight loss; he didn't want to go right out and say that he was in denial. But now that everything was hanging off of her, it seemed like there was nothing he could do to not notice. "Can I tell you something?" she asked, snapping him away from his thoughts.

"Yeah. Sure. What's up?"

"I'm not really sure how to say this...but honestly, lately...Phil's been kind of making me uncomfortable." John arched an eyebrow.

"Uncomfortable? How so?"

"I don't know...it seems stupid, but he's always calling me stuff like 'hon', 'sweetie', 'beautiful'...he's always trying to give me hugs...I know it seems stupid, but it just makes me feel uncomfortable because he never used to do that."

"Oh," John said. "Have you tried talking to him about it?" She shook her head, staring out the window into the rainy Boston night.

"I don't really know how to broach the subject with him," she confessed. "Because if he's just being friendly, I don't want to make him feel like a jerk, or look stupid. You know?" She shook her head and poked at her lasagna. "Forget I said anything." John wanted to say something, to let her know that her opinion was important, but he couldn't quite get the words out. It seemed like she had really taken a turn for the worst since she had met his father. When he had taken her back to the hotel after _Raw_, she hadn't even given him a kiss on the cheek, or a hug. She had just walked into the hotel room, leaving John to wonder if he had done something wrong. It was getting bad between them. He would give anything to kiss her, to hold onto her and tell her whatever's bothering her was something they could work through together, but the more he tried, the more she seemed to make it clear she was going to work through it herself. Adam had told him she had more or less blown him off last week, and Jeff wasn't able to scratch the surface either; he had told John he had caught Angelle crying backstage from what she had said was "stress". Frankly, Jeff had told him, he was surprised that management hadn't forced Angelle to take time off. John had agreed; it was like everybody was turning a blind eye to what was happening, and the truth was, as much as he hated to admit it, he was too.

**

Angelle hadn't really eaten dinner; she had wrapped it to go, but he would have been surprised if she had eaten half of her dinner. She looked exhausted, and after a discussion, he decided to just take her home instead of out to do something else. As it was, she practically looked like she was about to fall asleep in his car. This was one of the most miserable dates in his life, but he was getting more and more concerned about Angelle's health, and it bothered him that she didn't seem to care. If she wasn't sleeping and she wasn't eating, it was only going to be a matter of time before she wound up in the hospital. Michelle McCool had pulled the same kind of physical breakdown a couple years ago when she had gone through her divorce; and her kidneys had almost failed and she had a massive electrolyte imbalance that left her hospitalized for a couple weeks. John didn't want to see that happen to Angelle...nobody else did either.

He pulled up the car into her driveway and killed the ignition. Leaning back against the driver's seat, he said what had been on his mind all night. "Maybe we can set up the barbecue for another time." She turned to him.

"What...? I'm fine..."

"Bullshit, Ange. You're practically falling asleep in the passenger's side, and you look like you haven't slept in a month. Take tomorrow to yourself, shut off your phone and just get some sleep, all right?" She wanted to argue with him about it, but she knew better. He was right; she was too exhausted to even argue.

"Fine. But your dad..."

"My dad will understand," he said. "You're exhausted. It's not like I haven't ever had to cancel family barbecue time because of exhaustion. You just get yourself some rest, and I'll see you Monday, all right?" She nodded. John was about to offer to walk her to her door because she looked so exhausted he would have been surprised if she could walk a straight line, but, with tears flowing in her eyes, she got out of the car, slammed the door and made her way to the front door, leaving John to stare from the driver's seat with a mixture of pain and frustration shimmering in his eyes.

_What the hell is going on here?_ He thought to himself. He waited until he was sure she was through the door before driving off.

**

"John?" John Cena, Sr., was surprised to see his second oldest son, but John refused to acknowledge his father's reaction and only stepped into the house. "What's the matter? How did your date go?"

"I'm worried about Ange, Dad," he confessed. He ran a hand over his close cropped brown hair and went into the living room, sitting down on the couch. John followed his son and sat down on the couch beside him.

"Well, tell me a bit more about Angelle," he said. "Outside of the fact that she's beautiful." John smirked.

"I don't know much else about her," Cena replied, the frustration in his voice evident. "She tells me nothing! You might think I'm exaggerating, Dad, but it's true. She tells me fuck all about anything! It's like she expects me to know or some shit."

"That's a woman for you." John stared up at his father, an intense look on his face.

"Dad...seriously..."

"Sorry, John," he apologized. "Continue." He took a deep breath and spoke.

"There's an ex-fiance in her past. But she doesn't talk about him. She has a box of his stuff that her sister brought out to her, but she won't look in it, she won't touch it. It's like the fucking box has this kind of power on her."

"What do you know about this ex?"

"What do you think?"

"Nothing?"

"Right! Nothing! Fuck all! Zilch!" He sighed. "Everyone's whispering about her backstage now because she's dropped too much weight for a girl her size, she looks like she hasn't slept in a year and on top of that, everyone's catching her crying backstage left, right and center...and she still won't tell them anything." John sighed.

"Let's say that this fiance is dead," John began, "which is a logical conclusion seeing as she was given a box of his stuff by his family. Have you ever stopped to think that maybe the idea of falling in love with you was not her plan? Or that maybe the idea of moving on is so foreign to her that it's causing her nothing but stress?"

Cena sighed, running a hand through his head and staring down at the floor. "I don't know. Dad, I'm trying to have patience, but she won't even let me touch her. She's blowing everyone off left, right and center, and tonight, she barely ate anything. It's like what am I supposed to do here? How can I help her?"

"I know you're not going to like hearing this, John, but I think at the moment, she can't be helped," John informed his son. "The only thing she can be is saved, and I don't even think she's ready for that yet, either. She has a long way from rock bottom, John. I know you don't like hearing this, but things are going to get so much worse before they get better."

"Dad, what would you do here? I really love her. This is killing me." He sighed. "I can't even tell her I love her because I'm scared she's going to wig out."

"The only thing you can do is wait, John," his father replied. "I know you hate to hear that, John, but that is all you can do. She'll have to come around eventually. I just don't think she knows how to grieve." Cena groaned; as much as he hated to admit it...his father was so right.


	18. Time Off

**Time Off**

John, Stephanie, Shane and Vince were all standing in Vince's makeshift office that Monday for _Raw_, Stephanie and Shane standing across from Vince's spacious desk. _Judgment Day_ was coming up in six days on pay-per-view, and though the rest of WWE's internal management was talking about pay-per-view plans, they were holding a private, emergency meeting about Angelle and about the current shifts in mood and appearance that she seemed to be having. Since nobody really wanted to meddle in Angelle's affairs and speak up to the McMahons, things would have been fine for her had Vince not started hearing the rumors, and because of the rumors he had heard, he called his children and John together to discuss a plan of action, especially after Stephanie and Shane had talked things over with him regarding Angelle's sloping work as of late.

"Dad, it's gotten bad," Stephanie said. "Whatever demons she has, it's clearly winning."

"So what's the issue then?" Vince asked. ''We offer her rehab."

"It's not drugs, Vince," John said, shaking his head at the Chairman's short-sightedness. "It's mental. And she won't talk about it with anyone."

"So, we terminate her then. Bring her back when she's got her shit together."

"Dad, that's cold," Stephanie replied. "Even for you."

"I'm with Steph here," Shane said. "Here's what we know, all right: she's clearly not eating because I'm sure the woman can see her ribcage. She's clearly not sleeping because I haven't seen so many bags since my last shopping trip with Marissa, and as far as I'm concerned, it's only a matter of time before her work starts suffering more and more as a result. Her relationships here are suffering; everyone's at wit's end with her, is that not a safe assumption to make, John?" John hung his head and nodded, as ashamed as he was to admit it. "She's shutting everyone out, and she's been incredibly passive-aggressive to everyone trying to pry her for information, including but not limited to, John, Adam, Phil and Jeff." Shane turned to the former champion. "John, what do you propose we do?"

"We give her a vacation. A proper vacation," he said. "Because on top of everything she's dealing with, she still hasn't recovered from that fiasco with her sister post-_Mania_. I think it would be beneficial to her mental health if we gave her this and got her as far away from here as possible."

"Why didn't she ask for more time off then?" Vince asked, irritated. "We would have given it to her. Family comes first; we get that."

"I don't know why she didn't take it," Stephanie replied with a shrug. Shane shrugged, too, as though expecting his father to expect him to have some kind of information.

"She won't acknowledge things are wrong," John said, putting his hands on the desk and staring down at the stack of paperwork. He looked up at the McMahons, who were staring back at him for an answer. "That's the only explanation I can give."

"Well, then it's settled. Stephanie, tonight you give Angelle a one month vacation. Tell her I don't want to see her within the vicinity of WWE for thirty days. She gets her thirty day paid vacation as per her contract, effective the second _Raw _cameras stop rolling. Meeting's adjourned." They nodded and Stephanie went to find Angelle. John sighed. Vince and Shane looked at Cena.

"You going to be okay, John?" Vince asked. He nodded, staring into the gentle, aging face of the WWE Chairman.

"Yeah...I just feel like I'm betraying her here."

**

Angelle was running over the night's plan with Ricky Steamboat, who was stunned to see how haggard her appearance had gotten in what had seemed like a span of two weeks. Maybe it had been happening for a while and he just hadn't noticed, but now that he did, it had him concerned. He had heard the whispers; especially from Chris, who he had been working with a lot lately, but he had never really paid attention. At the moment the two of them were talking about _Extreme Rules _the following month, tossing ideas back and forth about CM Punk's imminent heel turn. Stephanie caught up with them. "Hey, Steph," Ricky said with a smile. She smiled back at the 2009 Hall of Famer.

"Hey, Ricky. Mind if I steal Angelle away from you for a few minutes?" she asked, keeping the polite smile on her face. He nodded. He could see something in Stephanie's wide eyes that said this was serious and had to do with whatever was plaguing Angelle.

"Sure thing," he said. "I'll catch up with you after the show, Ange," he said. She nodded and turned to her supervisor.

"What's up, Steph?"

"Can you come with me to Dad's office? I got to talk to you about something in private. It's kind of important." Angelle nodded, but it didn't stop the anxiety from starting inside of her. She wondered if the rumors had gotten so rampant that Stephanie was about to fire her in the confines of her father's office. Angelle fought the tears from burning the back of her eyelids, because she knew there was the chance she was just overexaggerating Steph's reasons for wanting a private meeting. Stephanie held the door open for Angelle and Angelle walked into Vince's empty office. Stephanie closed the door.

"We have to talk," Stephanie replied, making her way around her father's desk and sitting down. Angelle took her seat across from Vince. It brought back vague memories of the day she was hired.

"What's up?"

"Look, Ange, I don't know how to broach this with you, so I'm just going to spit it out. You look like shit. You're clearly not eating, I don't know if it's a disorder or if it's stress, but you're way too thin and it scares me to death. You look as though you haven't slept in a month, and you forgot to fax me the minutes from the last creative meeting, leaving me more or less clueless about the show tonight. You misread a couple of Shane's invoices, which thankfully he caught, but the carelessness could have been detrimental to overseas distribution in the Middle East." Stephanie sighed. "I don't know what's happening with you, but whatever's going on in your personal life is affecting your worklife, and we can't have that, Ange."

"Steph..." Angelle tried to speak in her defense, but Stephanie held up a hand to silence her.

"Ange, we're all concerned about you," she said. "Everybody back here is so worried about you. We don't know what's going on, and we respect that you don't want to say anything. But it's only going to get worse, all right? I respect that you don't want to bring your personal problems to work, but I'm telling you this as a friend who cares about you so much. You need help in a way that being on the road won't cure.

"So my father and brother and I met up and we decided that after tonight's _Raw, _you are on vacation. Thirty days paid vacation. Go somewhere, put some weight on, get some sleep and try to get yourself on track. Don't even think about the business. Just go do what you want to do for a month, and your job will be here when you get back." Angelle blinked.

"I'm not fired?"

"No. We value you too much and everyone loves you back here," Stephanie replied. The youngest McMahon wasn't about to drop the bombshell on Angelle that would await her when she got back, healthier and happier. She cocked her head. "Go get ready to take care of your duties tonight and then go do something for a month." Angelle nodded and left the office, trying to figure out what had just happened.

**

"I feel like I betrayed her, man," John said, shaking his head as he threw down an old school Word Life T-shirt. The guys were shaking their head in disbelief at John's apparent guilt over his meeting with the McMahon family. "I feel like I sold her out to The Man or some shit." Miz, Alvin and Legacy laughed.

"Give me a break," Randy laughed. "Sold her out to The Man...Jesus. John, I'd be doing it too if she started looking like that." Cody nodded. "It's not healthy at all. Period."

"She's been looking really rough lately. It's for the best, John," Cody said. Miz and Alvin nodded, exchanging concerned looks. It was tearing John apart to see her in such bad condition, and to know that he had to go over her head in an attempt to make her recover. It bothered the guys to see her take such a downward spiral, and to take John with her, whether she was aware of it or not.

"At least she's not being fired," Miz replied. "Think of it that way. She can take a dream vacation, have fun in the sun, get laid in the shade and come back better than ever."

"She better not get laid in the shade," Alvin said with a cock of his eyebrow. "Her boyfriend's still working here while she's having her fun."

"I don't know what the fuck I am," John confessed with a roll of his eyes. Miz cocked an eyebrow as he slid a I'm Awesome T-shirt on over his head.

"You two have never talked about that?" Miz asked as he put one of his trademark hats on his head. His hands then rested on his hips as he stared at the flustered ex-champion.

"That would be to insinuate that she talks to me about anything," John said bitterly. The guys exchanged glances, the tone in his voice not lost on anybody in the room.

"John, I know it's frustrating, but this attitude of yours over the situation is only going to make things worse," Randy replied, shaking his head as he put on a Legacy T-shirt over his oiled physique. "Take it from me. It's going to get a lot worse before it gets better, but patience is the key here."

"I don't know how much more patient I can be," John told them. "I'm watching her spiral downward and I can't save her!" He sighed. "I hate feeling so fucking helpless here! She won't say anything to me, and it' s like, what am I supposed to say here? I'm not psychic!"

"Just calm down, John," Alvin replied. "Things will get better, all right?"

"When, though? I mean, look at her. She's getting worse!"

"Then it sounds like this vacation is a great idea for her," Ted told him. "You said it yourself – she's maxed out personally and professionally. This could be good for her, good for the two of you. They do always say that absence makes the heart grow fonder." John didn't seem as confident about the situation as Ted did, and judging by the looks of Miz, Randy, Cody and Alvin, they weren't so convinced either.

**

After the show, Angelle was sitting on her bed, digging up a deal to go to Italy in the next several hours to two days. She didn't agree with being sent on vacation, but she was willing to grin and bear it. After all, it wasn't the most brutal punishment to get sent off to a beautiful country for a month. But at the same time she felt like her plans had been disrupted. _I thought I would have three months to do my research and planning, _she thought to herself. She was also thinking that she didn't want to go without John, who had told her about some of the beautiful sights there he had managed to catch when his WWE career was just starting.

Angelle had been dreaming for the longest time that she would just wake up one morning like a normal woman again and move things right along with John, have a normal relationship, with the white picket fence and the whole nine yards. But it just wasn't happening. Now she was going to have to improvise the sights, since she barely had time to research, which was something that didn't really make her too happy, alongside seeing the most romantic country in the world alone. But she didn't want to go anywhere else. To even think about where else she was going to go was just causing her to draw a blank.

There was a knock on the door and she looked up in the direction of the knock. She spaced out for a minute or two, thinking about this vacation and about her life at the moment before the knock came at the door again, this time a bit louder. Shaking her head, she put her laptop down on the mattress beside her and she got out of bed to go and answer the door.

John stood on the other side, leaned against the door. There was no smile on his face. "Hey."

She stepped aside and let him in, a smile invisible from her face as well. It was clear neither side was happy, and it was an awkward social call. "Hey," she said. He saw her suitcases already packed and noticed she was still dressed in her clothing from the night.

"Heading out early?" She nodded.

"Yeah. I decided since I'm officially on vacation, I may as well just leave now."

"You were just going to leave and not say anything to me about it? Not even goodbye?" he asked, incredulous. Just what was up with her? She shrugged, as though what he had told her didn't mean anything. He felt his nerves starting to wear thinner and thinner by how apathetic she seemed towards him.

"I'm sure everybody knew that I was being sent on vacation since everybody went to the McMahons with their rumors and bullshit," she spat bitterly. She turned away to go back to her laptop, but she held up a finger, stopped and turned around to face him. "Answer me this, John: were you one of them? Did you go talk to Vince about me?"

"What? You're kidding, right?" he asked, his jaw hanging agape. He was already impatient heading up to the room, and there was something in the back of his head that said things were about to get a whole lot worse with her. John wasn't stupid; heavy weather ahead flashed through his mind right up until her doorstep, and against better judgment, he knocked. Angelle's eyes were already blazing and his icy eyes already flashed of an impending storm. He knew he should have been listening to Randy Orton and the guys, and just exercised patience and leave her alone to come around, but he knew that there was no listening to them now that both sides stood before each other, physically exhausted and mentally spent. "You're getting paranoid," he snapped, dismissing her accusations with a wave. "If anything, the McMahons came to _me. _Did you expect me to lie to them? Tell them that you're healthy? Stevie fucking Wonder could see that something is wrong with you!"

"Who the fuck do you think you are to tell anybody anything about me? You don't know a goddamn thing!" she snapped.

"Of course I don't know anything," he yelled back, "Because you don't tell me a fucking thing!"

"You wouldn't understand," she retorted. "So just back off, John. Seriously."

"I'm not giving up on you, Ange," he shouted back at her. He was emotional; there was no calming him down at this point. She just glared at him, not saying a word, her body trembling violently with adrenaline, tears threatening to spill over. They registered surprise with his emotional outburst. "I try to be fucking patient, and I watch as you lose weight as you don't sleep, as you fuck up on your job, and you expect me to say nothing? You expect me to not give a flying fuck that you're falling apart at the seams and you don't want help?"

"I don't need help!" she shouted back. "I need people to mind their own fucking business!"

"This is what Elizabeth was talking about to me, isn't it?" he snapped back, taking a step towards her. She straightened her spine and he could see fire blazing in her eyes. "When your head becomes too much for you, you just take your ball and run somewhere where nobody knows you! But you can't fucking run forever, Angelle Harper! And I won't let you fucking run!"

"You don't know what the hell you're talking about!" She exclaimed, the tears beginning to flow. "If you did, you wouldn't say a fucking thing to me about anything!"

"Don't you get it, Angelle? I don't know! That's the fucking problem!" He took a few seconds to take a deep breath before he continued, but his voice was still loud and hostile. "I love you, Ange. Do you fucking hear me? I love you! And you know what the worst part about it is? I love you so fucking much that it hurts me to see you like this, and I can't seem to fucking stack up to your standards because I seem to be competing with a dead man -!"

Her eyes flashed and he knew that this was it. He had hit a nerve.

"You son of a bitch!" she screamed. She swung her hand and hit him hard enough to stagger him back a couple steps. John stared at her in shock, his hand flying to the stinging sensation on his cheek, but she couldn't see him past her tears. He stared at her; she looked almost possessed, in a rage that was normally reserved for murderers, her hair hanging limply around her face, her entire body tremoring. "Get out," she growled through her tears. John was stunned; he had never seen her so angry, heard her voice so guttural. But he knew he had crossed the line, big time. He stepped towards her again, and she swung, hitting him again, just as hard. He wondered if the sting in her hands were even registering with her. By the way her body quaked and how blank her stare had become, he didn't think it was.

"Ange..."

"Fine. I'll go." She pushed past him and rushed out of the hotel room. He could hear her crying in the hallway before it faded into silence as she disappeared down the stairwell. He sank down to the bed and gazed over at the laptop before putting his head in his hands.

**

"Jesus, Ange! What happened?"

Phil tried to hold Angelle still in the parking lot, but she didn't want anybody near her. She struggled against his hands, but Phil wasn't having any of her elusiveness. He held her in place and stared at her. "Just go away," she shouted, struggling and screaming in frustration. Phil saw the bags under her eyes, the weight loss, and her current state before his mind began to run away with him.

"John did this to you, didn't he?" he asked, his expression darkening. "What did he do to you?"

"Just leave me alone, Phil!" she snapped. "All you fucking men can just stay away from me!" she shouted, not caring who would stop and turn to look at her on the street. Phil hugged her close and she struggled against him. "Let go of me! Goddamnit, Phil, I'm serious...let me go!"

"No, Ange," he told her. "I'm here for you." He pulled back and she stared at him. The hurt shone in her eyes with tears she had yet to shed. Her hair was wild, her eyes were welted red and the way that the moonlight casted a glow over her face was almost irresistible. He pressed his lips softly against hers and she placed her hands against his black T-shirt and pushed herself away quickly. He stared at her quizzically, wondering what was wrong. She shook her head, the unshed tears spilling over.

"I can't...I can't do this..." she said, running down the sidewalk, trying to put as much distance between herself and the WWE as possible. Phil thought about chasing after her, but he could only watch as she ran, disappearing into a crowd of people. He sighed; things were really fucked up.

A block and a half up, she hailed a cab and climbed in, her body still heaving with unused sobs.

"Where to, Miss?" the cabbie asked, pulling onto the busy road.

"Airport. Please. Just drive."

**

"You're lucky all she did was slap you," Mickie replied with a frown as she shut down Angelle's laptop. "That was not cool, John, and frankly, I'm surprised at you."

"I fucked up, okay?" John snapped. He turned, putting his head back into his hands. He was currently waiting to regain the sense of taste in his mouth. He had no idea Angelle was such a slugger. "I feel bad enough, Mickie; I don't need you making me feel like shit, either, all right?"

Angelle had called Mickie from the airport and had asked her to forward her things home. She left delivery instructions with Mickie because Angelle planned to be long gone for Italy by the time her bags made it back home. She hadn't told anybody where she was going, and she had no intention of letting anybody know. As far as she was concerned, she didn't care if she never saw anybody again.

"I'm just saying, John. I mean, what the hell were you thinking taking that kind of a shot at her?" she asked. "Isn't it obvious that whatever is going on is something she's not ready to deal with head-on?"

"I was thinking maybe if I drew it out of her, she'd talk to me," he said. "Something...anything...Anyways...I was angry. It slipped out. Yes, I could have handled it better, but it happened, all right, and I'm just going to have to make the best of the situation." He shook his head and caught the stare on her features. "I am not giving up on Ange, Mickie!"

"You may have to," she said. "I wouldn't be surprised if she never wanted to see you again after that. I'm even disappointed in you, John."

John didn't reply. He just allowed Mickie to keep browbeating him over the argument. As if he didn't feel bad enough. Now he just had to figure out how he was going to make it right.


	19. Angelle's Truth

_**AN: Thank you so much to everyone who helped make this story reach a hundred reviews. I am so honored to have so many people reading this and I just want to say thank you. **_

**19. Angelle's Truth**

John had no time to brace for anything as Phil slammed him up against the wall in his locker room on Sunday, _Judgment Day, _causing all his friends to stand back and flinch with the impact Cena's head made against the wall. The former champion's eyes slammed shut in pain before opening to see Phil's contorted face practically nose to nose with his. "What the fuck did you do to Angelle?" he growled, keeping his hand gripped tightly around the neck of John's "U Can't C Me" T-shirt. John stared at Phil, a snarl crossing his normally laid back features.

"Excuse me?" John snapped, moving his arms up to get Phil to remove his grip. The two of them stood face to face as Adam, Jeff, Miz, Alvin, Randy, Jericho and Rey stood and watched, contemplating about whether or not they should go and break the guys up. But the guys knew that something needed to boil down between the two, that the tension over Angelle was at a breaking point and they needed to get it out of their systems before things got out of hand. They also gathered that it was better this happened now while Angelle was overseas; they felt she was too far gone in their eyes to put up with this developing love triangle. "What did I do to Angelle?" John raged. "What the fuck have you been doing to Angelle?"

"I haven't done a goddamn thing," Phil snapped, standing firm.

"You haven't done anything but make her feel uncomfortable, with your constant come ons and your shameless flirting," John replied sarcastically. "Did you miss the memo that said something was going on between me and her? That we've been seeing each other? Or did you even fucking care?" Phil's face took on a darker tone at John's accusation of making Angelle uncomfortable.

"You don't deserve her!" Phil shouted.

"Oh, and you're any fucking better than me?" John snapped. "You son of a bitch, I wouldn't be surprised if you contributed to most of her problems." The situation was starting to get more and more volatile, and the guys were glancing around, uncomfortable, exchanging wordless glances to see if somebody knew when it would be the best time to step in and break things up. Chris Jericho watched as though he was witnessing the Jerry Springer show in tights.

"That's enough..." Rey started to say, but the two men turned to him and bellowed for him to stay out of it. Rey put his hands up in mock surrender and stood back with Chris. The men were all surprised; these were two laidback, easy to get along with guys. It seemed almost incomprehensible that a woman could wear under their skin so much.

"You can't handle the fact that Angelle just might be happy with me," John snapped. Phil scoffed. "You can't handle that she just might like me more than you!"

"Since she's been with you, she's dropped weight, quit sleeping and become a total shut in!" Phil shouted. "I think it's safe to say you're an epic fail as a boyfriend!" In a flash, John had Phil around the neck, spinning him back into the wall where John had been thrown against, his fist drawn back. He was about to take a swing when the men rushed him and a voice screamed out into the locker room.

"Goddamnit, that's enough!"

Phil turned to see a woman who was a spitting image of Angelle standing before him; with close cropped bleached blonde hair and a backstage lanyard around her neck. She was dressed in a hot pink T-shirt with a camouflage overjacket zipped up to under her bosom with blue low-rise jeans. His eyes widened. "Ange?"

"No, you fucking doofus, that's her twin sister, Elizabeth," John snarled, pushing Phil and the guys away and making his way over to her. Elizabeth ignored his introduction and instead went toe to toe with John Cena, a snarl on her face that was so familiar to him. It was clear she meant business.

"What the fuck did you say to my sister, John?"

"What?" Phil went to interrupt, but one glare from Elizabeth caused him to clamp his mouth shut.

"Excuse me, but is your name John?" she asked. He shook his head. "Then shut the fuck up and let the man answer." She turned back to him. "You know what? You don't have to answer. She told me what you said. And the only thing I can say is how fucking dare you take that kind of a shot at her. Do you have any idea how hard things have been for her?"

"No...because she doesn't say anything!"

"John, Ange and I don't get along very much because of all of this, but even for all my faults, I would never in a million years use the kind of cheap, lowblow tactic you used on her." She sighed. "I guess maybe it's time I tell you what happened just so you can understand how much of a total cock you are."

"Ange should be telling me this."

"Well, it's clear she's not going to, so you're going to have to settle for me," she snapped. "Deal with it." She shook her head. "John, even in your inherent, hopefully not infectious stupidity, I know you love my sister so very, very much. And I think because she loves you too, she's slipping."

"Why?" Alvin asked. Elizabeth turned her attention to Raw's most valuable player.

"Because it's hard for her to face up the idea that she has to move on from Mike."

"What happened with Mike?" John asked. He could hear the guys whispering amongst themselves, asking who Mike was. Elizabeth motioned for John to sit down in a chair and everybody gathered around. Elizabeth sat down in front, as though she were about to tell a story to a group of school children. Elizabeth contemplated for a moment if she should be telling John this in private, but she understood that these people were her friends, and if they knew, they could help her along when she came back.

"Mike was Angelle's high school sweetheart. They started dating in the eleventh grade. The day they graduated was the day they got engaged. She moved into his parent's place with him with the plan of getting married before the year was out. She planned to take a year off, get married and go to college. Ange has always been a sensible girl; she didn't want to balance a full time school load and wedding plans.

"The thing with Mike was that he was diagnosed with severe depression in the tenth grade, and we found out later that before meeting Angelle, he had been hospitalized after a couple suicide attempts. The medication that they had him on wasn't working all that well, but he refused to talk about it with anyone. It was hard for Angelle; she always had to be prepared that what she was seeing today wouldn't necessarily be what she saw tomorrow. But she shouldered it like a soldier and kept going because she felt if you loved someone, you took the bad with the good, even though it was so straining on her. Especially because she's always been so private.

"When they started really making weddign plans, they began to fight a lot more than they normally did. Angelle was at her wit's end...well, because both her and Mike were stubborn as hell. Neither wanted to give an inch to one another about anything from the music to the cake, down to the dress she'd be wearing. She didn't want to cave and give everyone the wedding they wanted, like Mike did. She wanted a wedding that would make her happy.

"Ange and I weren't particularly close at the time. I was a bridesmaid. There was one day she showed up at my place; she and Mike had gotten into a brutal fight with Mike over the DJ that they were going to hire for the reception. She had a friend she wanted to hire; he wanted a professional. Angelle's nerves were frayed from the pressure and from the planning and Mike was having what happened to be the worst day of his life in his mind, and the two of them tore into each other to the extent that it was downright ugly. She threw the ring back at him, she threatened to call off the wedding. She left and came to visit me. We went out of a few drinks so that she could blow off some steam; it had been bad enough, she had said, that she almost physically attacked him. When we got back, though, the entire house was blocked off with police officers and ambulances."

"What happened?" Phil asked, his voice barely above a whisper. Everybody in the room was captivated.

"After the argument, he was convinced that they were broken up. Angelle wasn't the type to fight with him; and this had been especially bad. See, Mike's father worked as a hunter and trapper and he kept his stuff locked in the basement because of Mike's attempts. After he had picked the lock to the basement, he picked out his gun, went back up to the room, laid a picture of her down on the bed with the ring on top, and he, uh...he shot himself. He died instantly." John sucked in a breath and hung his head in his hands. The entire room was thick with silence, but John could feel the glare of the others on his back. He definitely felt worse than he had on Monday.

"We found out later that he was so happy with Ange that he just out and out quit taking his medications. Angelle could tell something was different, but she didn't quite know because he never talked about it with her. I guess he thought he didn't want to burden her with his problems, but he didn't realize in not telling her, that it created more strain on her." Elizabeth shook her head. "Things got worse when during her time of grieving, her so-called friends began criticizing the way she was handling things. A few of his friends insinuated that she was directly responsible for what happened, and completely disregarded the fact that he was so determined to do this that he broke into his father's equipment.

"In retrospect, it was better that Angelle picked a college on the East Coast. The farther away she got from all of them, the better. But she clammed up mentally. She shut down. Tried to act like nothing had happened, even though their blame was eating away at her. She drank more. She stopped eating. Her sleep habits got worse and refused to take medication. We tried to send her to therapy, but she refused to go.

"I understand why you did what you did, John. We tried the blunt tactic, but it backfired and she up and left for Boston in the middle of the night without so much as a goodbye. We even thought about having her committed, but the rest of the family chastised us for being unsympathetic to her trauma. For two years we stood by and watched as she shut us out, as her health deteriorated and she tried to ignore the world around her.

"Then she met you, John." John looked up. It was clear what Elizabeth was taking a toll on him in ways she couldn't imagine. His eyes looked weathered and clutched in regret and heartache. "She knew she liked you the second you asked her out for some coffee on her first night. She appreciated everything you did for her; taking her to the Hall of Fame, talking to her when she needed a friend. She loved that you asked her out, but she was so terrified."

"Of what?" he asked.

"To let herself fall in love with you would be to acknowledge that she has to move on. She's still living with the guilt, to the point where she hasn't been with anyone since it happened."

"Why couldn't she tell me this, Liz?"

"I know she wanted to tell you," Elizabeth answered, "But she never felt as though the time was right to tell you about everything. As much as she loves being with you; she still feels alone. It's a foreign concept to her to let somebody else in."

"So what do I do now?" he asked. "She probably never wants to speak to me again."

"Do you blame her?" Miz asked.

"Not really," Elizabeth answered. She stopped and contemplated her answer. "Give it about a week, John. I know that you know where she went." John nodded.

"I saw it on her laptop."

"Good. You'd better make this right, John. I don't think she could survive if she lost you, too. It's in your court from hereon in." She stood to her feet. "Anyways, I need to get going. I'm actually housesitting for Angelle while she's gone. She decided to give me a vacation while she took one. But I felt I owed it to my sister to come here and try to set something right. Things are fucked up enough for her as it is."

"Can I walk you to your car?" Phil asked. Elizabeth shot him a look, a smile spreading across her features as she saw the tattoos on his arms.

"Sure you can," she said as he approached. "You are?"

"Phil Brooks, or CM Punk," he answered. She heard Rey Mysterio groan and saw Chris Jericho roll his eyes.

"Elizabeth Harper." They left the locker room, immersed in conversation. John stood to his feet as the door closed and began pacing back and forth, throwing his baseball cap in frustration.

"What are you going to do?" Rey finally asked, his voice cutting into the silence.

"I don't know," John answered. "I fucked up, good. And this is going to take a lot of heavy duty thinking to make this right." Chris and Alvin shot each other a glance and a smile and stood to their feet. "Where are you going?"

Chris turned to John. "We're gonna get Shane and Stephanie," he told him. "We'll brainstorm a way to save your sorry ass." John shot him a grateful look as they left. Miz looked at Cena.

"You okay, man?"

"Yeah," he said. "I just wouldn't blame her if she never wanted to see me again."

**

"How come I've never seen you around here before?" Phil inquired. Elizabeth shrugged.

"Truthfully, I'm not a fan of wrestling," she said. "Frankly, I'm only here to try and help my sister get some closure. Give her the happy ending she deserves. John's been so good for her." They made their way across the parking lot towards her car.

"It's too bad you're not a fan," Phil said. "We could really use a Diva like you." She laughed. "I mean it. You're so unique. You're not a cardboard cutout like the other women we have." She laughed.

"With all due respect, you barely know me," she said, stopping at her car. "And up until about twenty minutes ago, you were about to rip John's throat out over my sister." Phil gazed at the ground and blushed slightly.

"Look, I'd just like to get to know you a bit." She gave him a once over; he was cute, in a dirty, punkish sort of way.

"I guess you can't be any worse than some of the guys I've been with," she said with a shrug. "Sure." She dug through her purse for a piece of scrap paper and a pen and wrote down her phone number. She handed it to Phil. "This is my cell number. I have to go though." Phil nodded and opened the door for her. She flashed him a smile as she got in the car and drove away.

**

Angelle stood on the beautiful concrete deck of her hotel room, staring down onto the land with a cup of cappuccino in her hand. It was a beautiful morning, with a crisp breeze flowing through her hair and creating goosebumps on her skin. Even though she had been there for about a week, she had barely left her hotel room. From what little she had seen, though, she knew that the pictures and writeups didn't do the country justice. After checking into a landmark hotel that had been built in the thirties, she had gone out and bought some groceries to ensure she wouldn't have to leave very much. The change of pace was beautiful; she could see the ocean from her deck. Her bed was queen-sized, comfortable, with a beautiful sea green comforter and butter soft pillows.

With a beautiful breeze coming in at night and a comfortable bed, one would think that Angelle was sleeping comfortably. But that wasn't the case. She was still torn between thoughts of John, thoughts of Mike, and the fact that Phil had kissed her. It hadn't felt right with Phil; when she arrived back on American soil, she knew she was going to have to address things with the Straight Edge Superstar. She wasn't sure just how she was going to broach the subject with him.

Her first night in Italy had been miserable, along with the entire plane ride. She had spent the entire time in tears over the fact that she had fought with John and he had said what he had said. But how did he know Mike was dead? Maybe he drew some form of intuition from the fact that the box that sat in her living room was now sitting in the hotel room; an express package that Elizabeth had sent her on request. Or maybe he drew intuition from the fact that she still wore the engagement ring around her neck, as if the ring would bring him back to her and they could resume their life together. Either way, as much as his comments hurt her, she knew there was a good chance that it would give her some form of an epiphany. But nothing was coming.

Putting the hot mug to her lips, she stared down at the ocean and thought about what it would be like to take a swim in the sparkling waters. It was beautiful; the way that the sunlight caused the beautiful blue water to sparkle like a million diamonds. She stared down at the brick roads, where the lovers were walking and talking in what to her was the most beautiful language in the world. And as much as she loved being there, there was a strong pang inside of her that told her she wished John was there with her. But he was done with her. He had made it clear that he was not going to give her the time she needed to grieve; perhaps she had been grieving too long. Her hand went to the ring around her neck. How patient did she really expect John to be with her when she couldn't even take the ring off? She never wanted to compare John to Mike, but she knew he had to see it like that sometime. But Mike was her first everything; she wasn't even sure how to move on, or to tell John what had happened. She sipped her cappuccino as the warm tears stung behind her eyes. She had royally screwed things up with John. And she had no idea just how she was going to be without him.


	20. Still In Love

**Still In Love**

Angelle woke up in the morning with a soft stretch and a smile on her beautiful features as the sunlight hit her face. She hadn't really slept well the night before, having strange dream after oddball nightmares, but when she checked out her reflection in the mirror that morning after her shower, she noticed that the bags under eyes were looking better than they had been a week before when she had arrived. She was starting to feel a bit more rejuvenated, a little more awake than she had been when she was at home and dealing with WWE life. It was though a second wind had taken over her physically.

Despite the seemingly peaceful vacation that she was currently having, she wasn't sure about what was going on in her mind; John had been floating through her head all night, ranging from all the moments they had together to all the moments they could possibly have together in the future if things could only work out between them. She wanted to call him, but she just couldn't bring herself to do it. What would she say to him? Would he even take her call? Angelle was anxious to think that he would possibly hang up on her if she tried to communicate with him. It was clear he was upset with her, and she was embarassed that she had hit him the way that she had. When she had calmed down, when the adrenaline had finally faded, her hand had stung for a couple hours from the force of her slap. She could only imagine how John's face had to have felt.

Love was a dangerous thing, she knew. She had followed Mike into oblivion it seemed like, and as pathetic as it sounded, she still followed him after he had died like some kind of cultist. It was no secret she was still following him, and it made her feel guilty and pathetic. To let go and move on with John made her feel as though she were abandoning his memory, and that was something she had a hard time getting over. But she knew that it was probably time to let go, to embrace the idea that maybe John could be The One. Thinking about him always made her feel giddy inside; there was something about him made her want to move on and have a normal life, even though it seemed to be an impossible road. The guilt in her head was harder than getting over Mike. She wished it were that easy; to just let go and move on and enjoy her life like a normal person. But the truth was she still held herself responsible for what had happened. The accusations of the people she thought were her friends still tormented her. Not that she'd ever confess that to anybody, but it was a burden that she was still carrying in her head, unsure of how she was just going to let that go.

After her shower, she changed into a pale blue sundress with a squared neckline and a pair of white sandals. She planned on taking a walk through town that day, to do a little more shopping and then maybe making her way to the ocean that night to enjoy the view. But the first thing she was going to do was enjoy a quiet breakfast down at a local cafe; she had become addicted to the place's cappuccinos, and since the barista spoke a little bit of English, she was able to at least communicate a little bit with somebody. She felt so lonely being a continent away from people who wanted to be her friends. Angelle felt stupid for trying to push everyone away so much. But they couldn't understand.

The beauty of Italy had her captivated in ways that she couldn't believe. From the beautiful weather to the gorgeous buildings and the men who were overtly affectionate, but generally sweet, the country beguiled her in ways she couldn't imagine. She gathered her purse and her hotel key, sticking it in her purse to make sure she wasn't locked out of her hotel room. She grabbed her shawl off the edge of the bed and left the hotel room to go get some breakfast and take in the sights.

**

John was exhausted when he arrived in Italy at around dawn Italian time. He thought about sleep, but he realized it was going to be a long day ahead of him. John was thankful Mickie had given him time to write down the information on the website the night Angelle left before she had shut down the computer. WWE had gone into a total tailspin of chaos after Elizabeth's visit; John had brainstormed with the McMahon children about how he was going to make things right, with everybody remaining more optimistic about the situation than John was. Of course, he had remembered the rage that had crossed her features and how hard she had slapped him. _The taste still hasn't come back to my mouth_, he thought cynically, putting a hand to his face. Vince had just about blown a gasket when Cena had asked to take a bit of time off so he could go and find her; but with him so injured at the hands of Paul, it would have made perfect sense storyline wise that he was away, though Vince didn't see it that way. Stephanie and Shane had understood, and had gone to bat for him against their father, who had caved in and given Cena a week off, after making him do a pretape of a promo before their upcoming match. On top of that, the two McMahons had wished him well and had given him a million ideas to work with. But he knew Vince was not happy, and he was in for it when he got back. So he hoped that everything worked out. Something had to be worth it.

He hoped Angelle would take him back. John was the first to admit he had really fucked things up and he was willing to crawl across an acre of broken glass to make it up to her. After Elizabeth's visit, he realized that the unreachable woman he was head over heels for was reachable after all. It was a safe assumption to any onlooker that he was a bundle of nerves, and most of the older women on the plane knew it was over a woman, as they had given John advice on the flight. John had accepted the information graciously; but it did nothing to soothe his nerves. He was hoping that this was a trip that wouldn't be a complete waste of time. It just couldn't be. He didn't even want to contemplate life without Angelle around.

**

Angelle fingered the ring around her neck as she walked down the sidewalk, flashing soft smiles at the men who offered her greetings and the women who smiled softly and waved to her while offering greetings. The sun was starting to dip below the horizon as she made her way towards the ocean, reveling in the beautiful buildings and the beautiful plants. It had been an uneventful, yet seemingly busy day; she had gone out for lunch, bought some new clothing on top of some new lingerie to make herself feel pretty, and after a short nap and a beautiful dinner that she had made herself, Angelle was now on her way to the ocean to enjoy the soft evening breeze and wind down before going back to the hotel room for what she hoped to be a good nights' sleep.

Staring around at the area as she made her way down the sloping brick road towards the main area of the beach, Angelle couldn't keep her mind off of John. There was something inside of her that told her he was close, but there was no way that could have possibly happened. Angelle understood it was an idealistic fantasy to think that John would be there to surprise her, as if he had known she had run away to this specific part of Italy. The idea that Vince would have given his top Superstar time off to chase her around the world seemed unlikely as well. She sighed; there was no way he could have possibly known where she was; but the fact that she felt he was so close was telling her that maybe she could make things up with him. Sure, she was still hurt over what he said. It had been weighing on her mind since the night she left, along with Phil's kiss. She couldn't believe Phil had even tried that. As much as she hated to tell him, she knew that she was going to have to inform him that the kiss between them was unacceptable and uncomfortable, among other things. She loved Phil like a brother, nothing more. But it worried her to have to lay him down gently; she wasn't particulary into hurting his feelings. With John, she wasn't even sure how she was going to react when she saw him.

Stepping through the gates onto the cool sand that was hot only hours before, Angelle stared out at the shimmering water. It was a breath-taking sight. She walked down to the water, kneeling down on the sand and stared out into the horizon, at the ships in the distance on the water, reveling in the orange/pink glow of the evening sky. "Why does everything have to be so hard?" she asked herself, her gaze staring down at her reflection. She shook her head as though to shake out the thoughts; although the end result was the thoughts coming faster. "I need a sign that I'm doing the right thing here. That it's okay to let go," she whispered as she leaned down to touch the water. She loved watching the ripple it made out from her fingertips. She stared down at her reflection, at the ring around her neck. Angelle looked up into the sunset and a small smile crossed her face.

**

Angelle walked down the hallway towards her hotel room and stopped dead in her tracks. She blinked a few times, thinking that when her eyes finally reopened that what she saw would be gone. But it wasn't happening. Standing before her, dressed in a pair of blue jeans and an old Chain Gang Assault Battalion T-shirt, hands in his pockets, was John. He was staring down at the floor, almost looking helpless, yet irresistible at the same time. Angelle tried to say something, but when she opened her mouth she couldn't get any words to come out.

He wanted to move towards her, but he didn't seem to feel comfortable doing anything. It was as though he were uncomfortable in his own skin, and frozen to the floor. John was surprised when she slowly made her way towards him, the tears starting to flow from her beautiful eyes, causing her mascara and makeup to run. She looked gorgeous; the dress clung to every sinful, returning curve in her body, the gaunt, exhausted appearance seemingly gone from her face.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. It was clear his words had hurt her; at that moment, he wished he could do anything to take that back.

"I couldn't...I couldn't let you think I didn't care about you," he told her, his hand gingerly reaching out and brushing a loose strand of hair out of her face. "I love you, Angelle. I know I fucked up...but I'd do anything to make it up to you. That is, if you'll let me..." He looked down and his eyes widened as he looked at her, his fingers brushing against her collarbone. He felt her body shiver against his touch and he sucked in a breath. "The ring..."

"I, uh, I took it off," she told him, her hand resting over his on her collarbone. "As much as you hurt me, John...I know you were right. I need to let go. I can't carry it around anymore." He felt himself fighting a losing battle against his tears. Their presence surprised him, and surprised Angelle as well, as she reached her hand up and brushed them away.

"Elizabeth told me everything, Ange...God, I wish I could make you see that it wasn't your fault. He had his issues, he had his demons. You can't save someone who doesn't want to be saved, Ange, I wish you could see that." He saw her eyes tear up. "I'm sorry you couldn't tell me, Ange. But you could have; I would have understood." He hugged her close. "I love you, Ange. I don't ever want to lose you. I would have understood."

"John...I don't know anything here...it's all just so hard...but what I do know is you're all I think about. I don't think I could ever function like a sane human being without having you around. Now that you're here...truthfully, I don't even know how I got along without you." A beautiful smile crossed his handsome features and his fingers stroked her cheek.

"Oh yeah?" He couldn't help it; that was a definite boost to his ego. She stared up at him, her hands on his face, just staring in silence, as though she were contemplating what she was about to do. Before John could speak, her mouth crushed against his with fury, staggering him back a couple steps in surprise.

**

Angelle woke up in comfort in the middle of the night, her head rested on John's chest, her hand draped around his stomach as his arm held her close. The patio doors were open, the cool night breeze creating goosebumps all along her body. A soft smile crossed her features as she remembered the beautiful dinner she had shared with John. It had been better than anything she could have imagined, and the feeling of being there, in the moment, in his arms felt right. There was something so romantic about being in his arms, watching the drapes on the patio doors move softly as the air tickled the nerves of her skin, leaving goosebumps in its path. She stared up at John's face, studying his features as he slept, his breath rising and falling evenly with each breath that he took. The blanket was down around his stomach, revealing his exposed chest that was covered in goosebumps. Angelle felt a blush crawl across her cheeks. She still couldn't believe she had made out with him, that she had initiated it like some teenager. _Initiated things? I practically raped the poor guy_, she thought, just watching him sleep. John had been reluctant, but she knew she had to go with her instincts and just dive back into the saddle. It wasn't a conventional way to get over someone; but there was something about John that was just so unconventional. Everything still felt so vivid and she burrowed her face into him, embarassed that the thoughts were still circling in her mind. At the moment, she was contented to just lay with him and watch him as he slept, and to feel the cool night air against her skin. For the first time in a few years, Angelle truly felt as though she were alive.

_Stop it_, she thought to herself, trying to fight a smile from crossing her features. _You're never going to get any sleep if you keep thinking like this_.

She couldn't believe how romantic John had been. He had checked into the room and had basically waited for her to come back when she hadn't answered the door to her hotel room. For as long as she lived, she was sure she was never going to forget how John looked as he stood in the hallway across from her, asking for her forgiveness over losing his temper, and telling her how much she meant to him. She knew that he had to be telling the truth, since he had flown all the way out to Italy to tell her. When their lips connected the first time outside of the hotel room door, she had felt an electrical power surge through her veins at the contact, at his touch. Even though it wasn't under the greatest circumstances, everything about it had seemed like it was sheer magic. She readjusted the covers and pulled herself closer to him before closing her eyes. For the first time in a long time, she was happy.


	21. Moving On

**_AN: Okay, guys. One more chapter and this one is over, done, finished. Thanks so much to everyone who's followed, put it on alerts and reviews. _**

**Moving On**

John made his way back into the airy hotel room with breakfast balanced in one hand, with the room key gripped in the other. He could hear the water running in the bathroom; Angelle taking her morning shower before they planned on going down to the beach. She had said something about doing something huge today; though he couldn't figure out what she had meant. Angelle hadn't been specific. A grin spread across his features as he put the bag of food and the two cups of coffee down on the counter before he set about getting dishes to set the counter area.

The night before had been incredible. She felt it and he felt it; it was an unspoken connection between the two of them. In fact, sunrise had been amazing, too. There was something about her that was more addicting than a drug, something about her that made him want to protect her and be with her for the rest of his life. He had a good thing with Angelle, he knew it, even though her demons were going to take some time to get over. But she had made huge steps the night before, steps he never thought she'd make and make so quickly. Everything about her seemed absolutely perfect and the night before played frame for frame inside of his mind. A smile crossed his features as he waited to hear the silence associated with her shower being finished. The feeling of his lips over hers was so special, seemingly electric. It was all he could think about, the night before. He found it weird how much detail he still remembered, like the way her lips had tasted like a mix of peppermint and cappucino. With great difficulty, he did what he could to not molest her in her sleep when she had finally drifted off, exhausted; instead he lay beside her and studied her features, listened to her breathing and took in every detail, every disheveled strand of hair, every beauty mark.

There hadn't been a lot of talking the night before. It was strange; as though they were two people possessed, with Angelle practically imploding at his touch. His thoughts were cut off as the bathroom door opened and Angelle walked out, a white towel wrapped around her features. He took a deep breath and shut his eyes. It was not good that she was tempting him like that.

She put her leg up on the bed and began to rub cocoa butter onto her calf. It wasn't the most suggestive move in the world, but to John it was as if she had the most seductive moves he had ever seen. Her wet hair hung limply around her face as she switched legs, pausing momentarily to rearrange the towel around her. John cleared his throat and she finally turned her attention to him.

"Um, whenever you're ready, breakfast," he said.

"I'll just get dressed and we'll be good to go." He nodded and she went to her bag and gathered her clothing before she started getting changed. John had to turn away and grab a few items out of the fridge. Sure, it wasn't like they were following a tight schedule. But he didn't want her to think he was some kind of nymphomaniac pervert or something. When he turned around, she was dressed in a white strapless top with a pair of black cargo capris. He groaned; it was evident she wasn't wearing a strapless bra underneath her shirt. She took her place at the counter and he leaned over and kissed her passionately. When he pulled back, she stared at him surprised.

"What was that for?"

"Do I need a reason?"

"No," she said with a beautiful smile. "I guess you don't." He handed her a coffee and she took a sip. "Went to the little place on the corner?"

"I remember you telling me about it during some downtime last night," he said, a grin tugging at his features. A vibrant red blush spread across her face. He brushed a strand of hair out of her face. "Do you do that a lot?"

"What?"

"Just attack people in hotel hallways?" She laughed as he handed her a box containing some pastries for breakfast. "I mean, it's not like I'm complaining or anything, but is this something I should be worrying about? I don't want to go out and find out you jumped Super Mario or something..."

"Stop it," she said softly, giggling slightly. "And no...that's the first time I've ever acted on an impulse like that." She looked down at the countertop. "I've only ever...done things with him, John." John dismissed it with a wave.

"I wouldn't have known it," John said. "You were a wildcat. It's a miracle I can even walk after the way you pounced on me. It was like watching a lion get mauled by a cougar."

"Okay. Enough," she laughed, blushing deeper as she attempted to take a sip of her coffee. He took his seat beside her and they began to eat, passing small crates of fruit around, discussing what the plans were going to be for the day.

**

John and Angelle sat on the edge of the pier, staring out into the water. His arm was draped around her shoulder, her head rested against him as they watched the boats in the distance and reveled in the shimmering blue waters in front of them. It had been a beautiful walk; around lunch time they had stopped for ice cream before finally making it to the pier. John had found out her all-time favorite flavor was butter pecan.

"It's so beautiful here," he told her. She nodded.

"It's almost a shame you can't spend the month with me," she told him. "How long did Vince give you time off for?"

"A week," John said. "Unless I'm injured, that's about the best I can ask for. As it was, I thought he was going to injure me for asking." Angelle laughed. She understood the pressure he was under, being WWE's top star and all. It was why she was so surprised that he had made it in the first place. "But I'd rather be here for a week then not be here at all. He wasn't happy to do it, but thank God for Shane and Steph."

"I'm glad you're here," she confessed. "I spent all yesterday thinking about you."

"I spent the entire day thinking about you, too," he confessed. "I was pretty sure you were going to throw me out on my ass after everything."

"I don't think I could ever do that," she told him. She reached into her purse. "I'm glad you're here. I kind of decided to do something today and I guess...I kind of need somebody strong with me."

"Sure. What's going on?"

She produced a small, white porcelain container that was sealed shut from her purse. "What's in there?" he inquired. Angelle remained silent for what seemed like an eternity, just staring at it, moving it around in her fingertips. She looked up at him.

"It's about half of Mike's ashes," she confessed. "This place was actually going to be our honeymoon, John. We were going to stay in a hotel about three blocks from where we are." His expression was stoic; he really had no idea what to say to her that was really going to make her feel better. She peeled the tape she had placed around it off and opened the miniature urn, placing the lid back in her purse. Without a word, and after a few moments pause, she put her arm out over the water and dumped the ashes into the lake. "Now he can say that he was here." A sad smile formed on John's face and he held her close. The tears were shining in her eyes, but this time they weren't spilling over. Being with John was as though a storm cloud had been removed, and it left her feeling as though the next chapter of her life was going to be better, brighter. But there was still something inside of her that told her she couldn't forget about him. She couldn't erase Mike's existence. He'd be with her forever, in some form.

She clutched to him tightly, seeking refuge in his arms. Reveling in his comfort, in his intoxicating scent, against his firm body that only seemed to provide some kind of release to her grief. "I love you, Ange," he said.

"I love you, too, John," she whispered. She stared up at him. Her eyes were shining, but she wasn't crying. It was as though there was a barrier that told her she wouldn't cry anymore. He tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and kissed her forehead. "I, um...I think I'm going to go through the box tonight, John." He smiled.

"Do you want me there with you while you do that?" he asked. She nodded.

"I need you there."

**

That night, the two of them lay on the couch together, under a blanket. Angelle didn't quite know how she wound up so lucky to land somebody like John. He was everything she could have asked for; a sweet man, a great friend, and an amazing kisser. Her hand was rested on his chest, which was moving up and down with slow, steady breathing.

The two of them had gone through the box almost as soon as they had returned from the beach; she had picked her things to keep; some photos that she planned to scrapbook when she got home, knickknacks and momentos that she hadn't seen since his death; a few things she had left at his house after she had moved out. There were a few things that she couldn't keep; that she felt no sentimental connection to, and they had that marked to send back to Mike's parents to dispose of how they saw fit. John had sat beside her, watching her as she went through everything without a tear, but with visible sadness, his hand soothingly rubbing her back in comfort as she recalled in detail how certain items affected her, or the circumstances surrounding the happy pictures that had cluttered at the bottom of the box. She felt one of his hands rubbing on her stomach.

"We can't keep our hands off of each other, it seems like," she whispered as he adjusted himself on the couch. She rested her head on his chest and wrapped an arm around his torso.

"I'm not complaining."

"I think we're asking for trouble at this rate, John."

"Well, maybe if you quit attacking me..." He was cut off by a slap to his chest. "Ow!"

"If I recall correctly, _Champ_, you were right there encouraging me."

"Yeah, but you love it." He rolled her over on top of him. She shook her head.

"You are fucking incorrigible, John." She leaned her head down and gave him a kiss. He held her hips down and kissed her back with force.

"You love me," he moaned against her lips. They pulled back. "Seriously, Ange. I know we can take this slow...but if you wanted me to marry you now, I'd do it in a second." She smiled.

"That's sweet to know, but I don't think there's any need to rush that," she said, her hand reaching out to touch his face. Thinking quick, he went to roll her under him and they both rolled off the couch, exploding in laughter as their tangled bodies hit the floor.


	22. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

Angelle returned to WWE with a vengeance following her Italian getaway with John Cena, happy that a dark phase in her life was seemingly over. Everybody could tell something had happened between the two during their time off, but neither side was commenting on what, leaving Superstars and Divas to start speculating about how serious John and Angelle really were. As the months began to wear on, through heel changes, celebrity guest hosts and releases, neither side even bothered keeping their relationship a secret anymore, and before everyone knew it, with gradual transition, John and Angelle were an exclusive couple. Angelle seemed rejuvenated, a little more at peace after spreading some of Mike's ashes into the ocean, and, at John's encouragement, she had started keeping in touch with Mike's parents a little bit more, who were more than happy to cling to the last link to their son that they had.

It had been awkward for Angelle to meet Carol Cena, John's mother. John, Sr., had sung her praises, but once Angelle had returned from Italy, she had been reluctant to meet the rest of the family, embarassed at how low she had sunk into the depths of despair. If any of them were bent out of shape over her missing the last barbecue she was invited to, nobody had said anything to her, and they were more than happy to just talk to her about how life in the WWE was. Cena had remained undeterred, however, and Carol, Sean, Matt and Steve had all met with Angelle just days before she had found out she was pregnant at one of their weekly barbeques, a result of John's last night in Italy with her. The entire family had fallen in love with her, and John was happy to see she was slowly but surely turning back into the Angelle he knew and loved. It blew him away at how good he was with his family, the way she knew a little bit about everything to carry on conversations with them all, and the way she managed to focus on every conversation, irregardless of how interested or disinterested in the subject at hand. At the end of the night, John's parents had cornered John and had told him the best thing he ever did was refuse to give up on Angelle. They told him she was a keeper, and he couldn't agree more.

Elizabeth and Phil began dating one another while Angelle was in Italy recuperating. It wasn't awkward for Elizabeth that Phil had wound up spending time chasing after Angelle, although things still seemed a tad uncomfortable between Angelle and Phil after he had kissed her the night she left for Italy. Neither side had really talked to the other about it, and Angelle didn't bother telling John. She didn't want to create any more tension between the two, with John having finally filled her in about what was up between the two of them, and Phil seemed happy with her sister, although she would have been lying to say that she wasn't surprised to find out about the two of them on her return to the US. Phil and Elizabeth seemed like a really odd pairing to Angelle anyways, considering how different the two of them were from one another.

Because of Phil's straight-edge lifestyle, Elizabeth had more or less conformed to his lifestyle, and it had made her happier than she had been in years, especially because she wasn't getting into horrible situations as much. And from what Angelle could tell, he treated her well; she hadn't seen Elizabeth so happy with a man, ever. She still wasn't a wrestling fan by any stretch of the imagination, but she supported the fact that Phil was so successful in what he was doing, and enjoyed seeing him compete on TV, though she would never admit it to Angelle. Phil was constantly trying to talk her into becoming a Diva, and although she would never admit it to Angelle, she was definitely considering it. Angelle could see it just by how much she wrestled around with Phil, letting him show her holds and letting her apply them to him, and how much she had shown up backstage at the shows. The backstage area embraced Elizabeth like family, the same way that they had embraced Angelle on her first day. Angelle thought Elizabeth would be a welcome fit in the Divas locker room if she wanted to do it.

The McMahon family had been happy to see that Angelle was looking much like she did when she first arrived when she got back from her vacation. Stephanie had waited a week before she had called Angelle into her office and had dropped bombsell news on Angelle; Lilian Garcia had given her notice to WWE; with her getting married, she wanted to get away from WWE, focus on her singing career, and live some kind of a normal life, much like Trish Stratus, after being a ring announcer for the last ten years. With the replacement auditions going completely bust, auditioning woman after woman who couldn't walk and chew gum at the same time, Vince was ready to look internally for a woman to put out there. And he had no one else in mind other than Angelle. Her dedication to the product before and after her return made it clear to Vince that she could handle the job. However, things would have to wait a while before Angelle went out under the lights. It didn't bother the McMahons to wait, however, considering that Lilian was only leaving at the end of the year.

_SummerSlam_ wasn't too far away; online wrestling pundits were starting to wonder if The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels would make their long anticipated returns; especially Shawn, who hadn't been seen since his grueling match with the Deadman at _WrestleMania_ back in April. At the moment, Angelle was talking to The Undertaker about his _SummerSlam _plans, happy to have him visiting for the night before he made his return the following week.

"Ange! Ange!"

Angelle turned around as Stephanie approached with Mickie and Maryse. "Oh, my God!" Mickie breathed, placing a hand on the firm bubble over Angelle's stomach. "Do you know what you're having yet?" Angelle shook her head.

"I don't know if you can do that at this point," Angelle confessed. "I'm only three months along." Mark shook his head.

"You can once the first trimester is over," he told her. "My ex did that with our youngest."

"Three months? And you're that big?" Maryse breathed. "I wouldn't be surprised if you're having twins."

"Please..." Angelle laughed. "Cena's just been making me eat more." Stephanie laughed.

"When's your next set of tests?"

"Wednesday."

"The Divas and I have started a pool. If you're expecting twins, then half of the Divas division gets a profit," Mickie said with a wide smile spreading across her features. Angelle shook her head.

"Great to know, guys." She shook her head. "I feel so exploited." They all laughed and she shook her head. "I almost feel horrible to have to take time off after just taking time off." The Divas laughed.

"Not that you could help it," Stephanie laughed. "Though I'm sure we all know what you and Cena were doing in Italy now..."

"Could we not go there?" Angelle laughed.

"So what's going to happen between the two of you now?" Maryse asked. Angelle shrugged.

"I don't know. I'm trying not to put any pressure on him over the entire situation. He said he'd marry me in a second if I gave the word...but at the moment I don't know if I'm ready for that."

"You're going to go all _Lethal Weapon 4_, aren't you?" Stephanie teased. "Wait until you're halfway through labor and decide that if you aren't married, you're not having the kid." Angelle laughed.

"With me and my moodswings lately? I wouldn't be surprised if I did." The Divas chuckled. "I tell you, what they tell you about pregnancy in the movies is bullshit. It is so not glamorous. My feet have been so swollen and the sickness...I thought I was dying this afternoon."

"How are things between Elizabeth and Phil?" Mickie inquired. Angelle laughed.

"Fine, I guess. I don't talk to Phil much anymore. I guess he finds it awkward talking to me," she said with a shrug. "I think Elizabeth is becoming a _SmackDown_ fan, but good luck getting her to admit that."

"Well, it seems like everyone got some kind of a happy ending," Maryse said with a smile. Angelle nodded.

"Yeah. It sure seems that way, doesn't it?"

"When do you go on maternity leave?"

"Three weeks." She had told Vince that it could be later, but he didn't want to risk anything with all the flying and the driving. Stephanie had taken her leave early on in her pregnancies, and he told Angelle he expected her to do the same. Before Stephanie could say anything, her walkie talkie went off, telling her to report to Vince's office and talk about the upcoming pay-per-view. Mickie and Maryse had to follow suit; their matches were coming up; with Maryse's character frustrated at losing her Divas Championship to Mickie James the month before. Mark had bid her farewell to go say hello to Hunter, who was looking forward to seeing Mark again after his long absence. She watched as they all walked away from her, leaving her standing alone in the enormous hallway.

She felt two arms encircle around her waist and a pair of lips on her neck. "How's my favorite mommy-to-be?"

"Good, despite the fact I seem to be sick all the time," she said, turning to face John. A wide smile was on his face as his hands stayed around her waist. He was dressed in his trademark cutoffs, his newest "You Can't See Me" T-shirt and ball cap.

"Well, you're absolutely gorgeous," he told her. "Irregardless of how you're feeling."

"Well, the Divas seem to think I'm going to be expecting twins," she told him with a shake of her head. He contemplated the possibility for a few moments. "They've got a pool going. If I have twins, half the division is going to make bank." He laughed.

"I wouldn't be surprised, per se," he said. "It has skipped a few generations in the family." She smiled at him, letting her fingers dance around the back of his neck, causing the hairs to raise. "It's going to suck so much that you're not going to be on the road with me."

"You'll live," she said. "We'll just have to make up for lost time when you come home."

"Was that a proposition?"

"It was whatever you want it to be," she said with a smile on her face. "But I really have to get going. Report to the Gorilla to start getting my shit together. I'll see you after the show tonight?"

"You better believe it," he told her. "I got plans for you."

"If they don't include a foot rub and some chocolate, I could care less what your plans are," she said with a roll of her eyes. She laughed at the expression of mock hurt that crossed his features.

"I said I've got plans...I wasn't specific." She flashed him a smile and kissed his cheek before making her way down the hallway towards the Gorilla. At the end of the day, Angelle knew that life at the WWE was perfect for her just the way things were.


End file.
